Maddie wiped her eyes carefully with her hand and looked up at Esteban, trying to read his expression, but she couldn't read his expression. She couldn't even see his face.
His face was buried into Maddie's shoulder.
"Es..Esteban? I didn't…mean…to make you sad" Maddie cringed slightly while touching Esteban's neck softly. Esteban looked at Maddie in slight anger but softened his look when Maddie almost started to cry again.
"Maddie" Esteban firmly stated looking into Maddie's face with care "You could of died, what where you thinking? That you could just walk around Boston in the middle of a storm and not kill yourself?" Esteban was now holding Maddie's cheek softly.
Maddie straightened up and recomposed herself, brushing her insecurities out of the way. She was supposed to be strong. After all, it was just her best friend Esteban, and they'd only known each other for a few years.
"Well…I…Why should you care?" Maddie sputtered, knowing right after that it was a pretty stupid comment "I mean, it's just that…my parents…". Esteban tensed up and let go of Maddie and got up.
"Maddie" Esteban said silently while looking into his reflection from the mirror on his side door "Look at you. You are my friend. You are smart and intelligent. You are also a beautiful and wonderfully nice person. I care for you and I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Yeah, a little late for that…" Maddie whispered depressingly soft.
"A little late?" Esteban exploded "A little late indeed! Are you telling me you stayed out there on purpose, just so you would get hurt!" Esteban was fuming right now. He'd never known that his best friend Maddie would've acted like this before, never.
Maddie stood up and looked at Esteban squarely in the face "Yeah, I did, okay? I would've gotten hurt anyways, so it doesn't matter." Maddie sat down on the bed and turned around, facing the wall. Tears were streaking down her face once again.
Esteban sat beside Maddie and put his hand on her shoulder "Maddie" he whispered "I know your parents aren't exactly the best but…"
"But what, Esteban? You feel bad for me, is that it?" Maddie poured out, turning to Esteban in furry but stopped motionless when she saw something she'd never seen before in here life.
Esteban's tears were slowly running down his face.
"Maddie" Esteban said, choking up a little "I know how you feel. I left my country for a new beginning. To find myself. I also left to lose myself, like you have."
Maddie coughed softly and looked into the shimmering eyes of Esteban "But the revolution…that's why…"
"Oh, the revolution didn't matter Maddie, I could have stayed if I wanted to. I left because of my father, that's why."
"Did he make you leave?" Maddie questioned uncomfortably, trying to understand Esteban's story
"No. No one told me to leave. I left because my father was violent and cruel. I do respect him, but there are many things I dislike about him. I even tried to convince my mother that he was horrible, but she never gave up in him. After every night he came home drunk and raging, my mother would sit there and take the yelling…sometimes the beatings…we..we would all have to take it as…children...we…we never…had a" but Esteban froze up and buried his face in his hands. Maddie stayed transfigured at Esteban, knowing how he'd felt.
"You never had a real family" Maddie finished for him, wiping a tear from her cheek. Esteban looked up nodding and shook the tears from his eyes.
"I don't have a real family either." Maddie sighed depressingly, looking down at her bare feet. She suddenly felt a hand on her chin, and saw Esteban looking straight at her.
"I know." Esteban agreed "But when I came to this country, I knew it was more than a chance to find a better life, but maybe find people I could trust in again. Open your eyes Maddie! The Tipton is like a family to me. It's also like a family to you, don't you see?"
"All I see" Maddie answered grimly "Is a bunch of people who feel sorry for me and don't know what I'm going through, that's what I see."
Esteban brushed Maddie's hair out of her eyes and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Yes" he answered "They don't know how you feel" Esteban grabbed Maddie's hand "But I do."
Maddie rubbed her eyes and nodded slowly
"Maddie" Esteban continued "You need to understand that I will always be there for you, no matter what. If you need me you can come over anytime, you know where I live, and you are welcome to stay at anytime. But our friends at the Tipton are also our friends too. They may not know us, or how we feel, but at least they try. They try, and at least it's better than nothing."
Maddie looked down slowly, feeling stupid. Extremely stupid. She'd complained about her parents fighting all the time but…at least they didn't drink in front of her and yell and hurt her. And she did have friends that at least tried to help her. But still…
There were still many questions she still needed to ask.
"Esteban?" Maddie hesitated slowly while pulling on her sleeve "How…how did you get these clothes from my house?"
"Oh" Esteban swallowed "Well, when you were being checked into the ER, I decided to call your parents..."
"What?" Maddie questioned "But, how? How did you know my parents number?"
"Mr. Moesby gives us a list of all the hotel workers names and addresses every few months, remember?"
"Oh…" Maddie replied, now remembering "But, my parents stayed in the ER?"
Esteban kicked his feet together and looked back at Maddie "They, they gave me an extra pair of your clothes Maddie and…well…they had to go. They told one of the nurses to dress you up in the warm clothes and…um…"
Maddie looked up at Esteban and put her hand on his hand "Tell me the truth, please."
"They…" Esteban murmured "They said to hurry up and get you out of there, that…that they didn't have the money for you to…"
"Esteban" Maddie interrupted, now tearing slightly "Tell me what they said."
Esteban wiped a tear from his eye and blinked. He looked down and whispered "They said they didn't have the money for you to screw your life up and practically die for attention. They told the doctors they wouldn't pay so…"
"Sso?" Maddie questioned now crying profusely, leaning inwards.
"So...Maddie, it doesn't matter." Esteban summed up, trying to change the subject while wiping his eyes "I'm sure you're hungry, I made some soup and…"
Maddie squeezed Esteban's arm and cried "Tteell mme, puhlease…I neneed tto knoww."
Esteban hesitated and looked at the wall, trying to hold back his emotions "So…I told them I would pay." Esteban explained, tears forming around his eyes "I..I said I didn't mind, so…so your father…"
"Sstep faather" Maddie corrected, practically sobbing on Esteban's shoulder. Esteban changed positions so he was holding Maddie tightly, giving her emotional comfort.
"So your step father…" Esteban continued sadly, leaning his chin on Maddie's shoulder "Said you should just stay with me for a while, that you…didn't belong with him, seeming as I was so interested in 'bringing you up positively', seeing as how you came to my house and…" Maddie pulled away and covered her face with her hands and threw her head onto Esteban's pillow and hugged it tightly while sobbing even harder.
Esteban turned to Maddie and held her hand tightly. Maddie squeezed back. Esteban waited until Maddie was calm enough to talk and just sat there, holding her hand.
That's all Maddie needed at the time. Something to hold on to.
After a few moments, Esteban spoke up.
"Maddie, I'm sorry…I didn't…I'm sorry."
Maddie turned over on the bed and looked at Esteban who staring at her "So…" she quivered slowly "Now I guess you know the real Maddie, huh? Some one just to be tossed around. Not even my parents want me…"
Esteban froze and looked at Maddie
"Maddie Fitzpatrick!" Esteban cried out "Are you listening to yourself? You are one of the most amazingly amazing people I've ever met! Your parents are completely insane not to see that. I swear, on my name, that if your step father would have stayed just a few seconds longer, I would've practically torn his head off. You don't deserve that kind of talk. You are much more than…"
"Esteban" Maddie smiled slightly while quivering, tears still in her eyes. Esteban stopped raving and looked into the shining eyes of Maddie. Maddie leaned forward and wiped her tears off while burrowing her face into Esteban's chest. Esteban held her and laid the top of his chin on Maddie's head sighing. "Esteban" Maddie continued "I just…don't know how to do this, that's the problem." Maddie wiped an extra tear from her eye and sighed.
"Do what, Miss…I mean Maddie?" Esteban whispered softly
Maddie looked up while Esteban looked at Maddie, with a comforting smile
"To…live normally…I…just don't know if I can do it…"
"Maddie" Esteban murmured, holding Maddie tightly, rocking back and forth "I believe in you. If you can you do all the things you do on a regular basis, then I think you can do this."
Maddie looked into the mirror that was hanging on Esteban's side door and looked at her and Esteban's reflection.
"Do you think…I could do it?"
Esteban looked into the mirror and stared at the reflection of Maddie's eyes
"No Maddie…" Esteban concluded "I know you can do it."
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Not finished yet…this is kinda like the intro to my story…it's gonna be a long long story of romance and faith. Very sad but it's gonna be happy sad in a little bit. R&R's
-SolidGoldHeart