Disclaimer: I do not own Liv and Maddie. I only own my OC.
Chapter 2: Maddie and Joey (Liv And Maddie)
"Hey, sister! Do you still believe in love, I wonder?" -Avicci
Maddie was experiencing a strange feeling in her chest, one she was unfamiliar with, and lingered long after Diggy left for Tasmania. It was an uncomfortable, painful feeling that made her tired and sluggish and sad. She didn't even have any interest in playing basketball, her favorite activity in the whole wide world.
She'd give up basketball forever if it meant Diggy would've stayed.
She tried to remind herself that Tasmania was a really amazing opportunity for her boyfriend, but it didn't make the strange feeling lessen any.
It took weeks of no change for her to open up to someone about the strange feeling. Liv was out; Maddie loved her twin, but she didn't expect Liv to understand. Dad was out; he wouldn't understand either. Parker was too young and hadn't even started dating. Mom was definitely out; she'd go all guidance councilor, and it would be more smothering that helpful.
That left Joey, who was the only one who might understand what Maddie was feeling.
Believe it or not, Joey had had a girlfriend at one point. A kind, beautiful girl named Seraphina, Sara for short. Sara was sweet and smart and the perfect girlfriend, the only girl at school that didn't believe Joey to be a geek or a loser and accepted him for who he was. The entire family had fallen in love with her, even Maddie, who was always so defensive around strangers brought into the family for years after Liv moved to Hollywood. It's like she always thought people were trying to take Liv's place or something, but despite that irrational fear, even Maddie loved Sara, and they became very good friends.
Until her parents moved to Europe.
Joey had been normal for a few months as their relationship continued long distance, but Sara suddenly stopped calling, texting, and video chatting. She didn't even write an email or a letter (Sara was a bit old fashioned) to explain why. No break up call. No reason. Nothing. Joey barely got out of bed for months after that.
Joey sat at the edge of Maddie's bed as she listed off her symptoms and spun a basketball between her fingers, twirling it and moving it between hands, needing something to distract her.
"I don't know what it is," Maddie stated. "Am I getting sick?"
Joey laughed without humor, smiling bitterly but not in a mean way. "It's called being heartbroken, Maddie."
Maddie frowned. "That's it? But this feeling-"
"Makes you feel like you're slowly dying and should see a doctor right away, but don't have the energy to get out of bed?" Joey completed.
Maddie sighed and nodded.
"I felt the same way after Sara moved, and trust me, it was debilitating. The only reason it stopped hurting- and even then, it wasn't entirely- was because we received news that Liv was coming home. That certainly cheered me up," Joey told his sister.
Maddie raised her eyebrows. "What about me? I can't exactly be cheered up by Liv coming home if she's already home."
Joey chuckled. "No, but in a bittersweet twist of luck, you have someone that understands. I didn't. And trust me, Maddie, it does get better. Does it ever stop hurting, no, but it does get easier to manage. You're starting to think that you'll lay in bed forever, never knowing what could've been, but one day, you'll get tired of laying around, get up, shower, brush your teeth, get dressed, and actually leave the house. You'll keep doing that, and before you know it, a year's gone by.
"And Maddie, Diggy loves you. A lot. I can't see him finding a girl half as amazing as you in Tasmania or anywhere else, but whatever happens, whatever Diggy chooses, you still have us. Even if Diggy leaves, we will never leave you… and if Diggy hurts you, the entire Rooney family will chase him all the way to Antarctica."
Maddie laughed. "Thanks, Joey. I needed that."
Joey shrugged. "What are big brothers for?" Joey questioned, ruffling Maddie blonde hair while she swatted his hands away.
Maddie instantly became serious as the question exited her mouth without her permission.
"Joey… has Sara…"
Joey shook his head.
Maddie reached over and squeezed his shoulder, comfortingly, but while her eyes displayed sympathy, her mind was crafting together a plan.
Maddie told Liv the plan, and Liv agreed to cover for her.
The plan was… tell Mom and Dad Liv and Maddie were both was staying at Willow's. Willow would go along with the… lie (man, Maddie hated that word), and if Mom and Dad called to check in, Liv would pretend to be both herself and her twin on the phone. Willow's dad worked late, and her mom was blind as a bat, even with contact lenses, so she'd probably think Liv was Maddie the entire night if they didn't tell her otherwise.
Meanwhile, Maddie had bought a plane ticket with the money she'd been saving up for the past several years (she started saving her money a little after Liv moved to Hollywood. She wasn't saving her money for anything in particular, but while Liv would be making tons of money, Maddie still had a one-dollar-per-completed-chore allowance, so Maddie decided to start saving money now) and flew to England, where Sara lived and attended a prestigious boarding school.
Maddie had found the address of Sara's school on a slip of notebook paper she'd given Joey a few years ago, right before she moved. Joey never threw it away, but he did crumple it up and throw it against a wall, where it lay forgotten on the floor.
Maddie knocked on the door of Sara's dorm room, and the said girl answered the door, looking much prettier since Maddie had last seen her and incredibly surprised to see Maddie Rooney of all people standing on the other side of her door.
"Maddie?" she gaped, and Maddie shoved her inside and shut the door behind her, wanting this conversation to remain private instead of a rumor circling Sara's school in a day or two.
"You have a lot of nerve remembering my name when you can't even remember to email or call or even text Joey," Maddie snarled.
The door opened, and a girl with dark hair pinned under a gray beanie entered the room, presumably Sara's roommate, but Maddie glared at her.
"Out," Maddie ordered.
The girl looked pretty tough, but even she wasn't willing to mess with this angry girl as she swallowed a terrified squeak and obeyed the command and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
"Maddie, Joey and I just became different people. We knew the long distance relationship wasn't going to work, so-"
"And you couldn't have called him or emailed him to tell him that?" Maddie growled.
"I didn't want to break his heart," Sara replied.
"So you thought ignoring him was better? He went months- months- sitting at his desk with his phone and his computer, waiting for a text, a call, and email, a video chat that never came. He was so desperate to hear from you, he checked the mail everyday and wouldn't let anyone else do it because he was hoping that there would be a letter from you, but there never was," Maddie told her. "I wouldn't be as angry if you met someone else or moved on because I understand that, but my brother was even more heartbroken by you seemingly forgetting him than he would ever be by you breaking up with him."
"Maddie, I made a mistake. I understand that, but I can't go back and chance it," Sara pointed out.
"But you can fix it!" Maddie responded. "You are going to email Joey right now, apologizing for ignoring him, for forgetting about him. Tell him why you stopped talking to him and that yes, you needed to move on, but you shouldn't have done what you did. I have a flight to catch, but if there is not an email from you on Joey's computer by the time I get home, I will come back, and next time, I'll bring Liv and Parker, too. The Rooney family is not something you want to mess with. Oh, and unless he asks you the question directly, don't tell him I was here," Maddie finished before slamming the door behind her.
Maddie and Liv walked into the house the next day, and while Liv lingered in the living room, Maddie climbed the stairs and entered Joey's room to find him lying in bed. He was staring forlornly at the ceiling, but he appeared to be deep in thought, a little sad, but not depressed.
"Hey," he said without looking up. Somehow, he knew Maddie would be the first one to come see him. "Sara emailed me today."
Maddie didn't even pretend to be surprised as she sat on the edge of his bed, not meeting his eyes as she waited for him to continue.
"She said she was sorry for forgetting about me, for not giving me a reason," Joey answered when Maddie didn't respond. "She told me that I'm a great guy, but we both knew that long distance wasn't going to work, but she's sorry about the way she handled it."
Joey gave Maddie a small smile. "You went to see her, didn't you?"
The minute Joey relieved that email from Sara, he knew Maddie had something to do with it. He couldn't say he was shocked. If the roles were reversed, and Diggy stopped messaging Maddie without even giving her a reason… Joey would've done the exact same thing, his friendship with Diggy forgotten. His sister would always come before his friendship with Diggy, and he's pretty sure both Maddie and Diggy know that. Joey may not look like much, but if you mess with his younger brother or his sisters… you'll learn that Joey Rooney is not a person to be messed with.
Maddie shrugged. "What can I say? You're my brother. You would do the same for me."
Maddie leaned back against the wall and stared at her older brother, asking the question that had been bouncing around inside her mind ever since their conversation yesterday. "Do you think love still exists?"
Joey nodded. "Of course. If it didn't, you wouldn't have gone to see Sara and talk some sense into her. I wouldn't have comforted you about Diggy going to Tasmania. Romance is… complicated, but love itself isn't even close to complicated."
Maddie leaned over and hugged her older brother, who didn't hesitate to hug her back…
As the siblings embraced each other, Maddie couldn't held but agree with his reasoning.
"Hey, sister! Do you still believe in love, I wonder?" -Avicci