"Thanks for the ride home Nick" Madison said as she slid off the back of his bike and handed him his helmet.

"No problem, listen I really want to talk to you to explain everything that's happened today."

"Okay, do you want to come inside?"

"Sure" he replied as he hopped off his bike hanging his helmet on the handle bars, as Madison was already heading towards the door, twirling her keys around her finger. By the time Nick reached her she had the door open and was just entering the house and throwing her keys on the table by the door.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Maddie asked afraid to actually start the conversation.

"Listen Maddie, all that's been going on today, I'm sorry. I would never intentionally hurt you. I care about you a lot. You're the first real friend I made here." Nick replied hoping that his pleading would bring her to look into his eyes.

"I know you wouldn't mean to hurt me. I just jumped to conclusions, I guess I got jealous."

"Jealous? Really? Why would you be jealous? Leelee is nothing compared to you. I thought it was obvious how much I care about you. I like you Maddie, I have for awhile now." It was only with that confession did Madison lift her eyes to meet his own.

"I do want to be with you Maddie I wasn't joking the last time I said that. I'm serious, but if you don't want to be with him I'm willing to accept that."

"Ben kissed me."

With those three words Nick's heart shattered. "Okay, I understand."

"No, no you don't understand Nick. I didn't kiss him back; I didn't want to kiss him back. I wanted it to be you."

"So does that mean you want to be with me?"

"I don't know what it means, but I don't think we should take things fast. I can't be with you; I need us to just be friends. Can you do that for me?"

"I'll do anything you want Madison, and if you want time I'll give you time." Nick replied solemnly wishing he had gotten a different answer, one that ended up with Maddie in his arms.

"Okay well, I better go. I'm sure Vida will realize you're home and I know she'll want to ask you were you have been all day." Nick said as he turned around and opened the door about to step outside.

"Nick wait!" Maddie exclaimed

"What?" he asked hoping she had changed her mind already.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Nick was suddenly confused

"For doing this, for letting me do this, for giving me time, just thank you for everything."

"I already told you Maddie I'll do anything for you." He said and walked out the door, hoping that he could get away before she drew him back in. Once Nick closed the door Maddie backed into the wall and sunk to the floor crying.

"Maddie? What's wrong what happened?" Vida rushed to her sister's side once she saw her on the floor crying.

"It's my fault. Gosh why did I just do that? I'm so horrible right now." Madison sobbed through her tears.

"What happened? What are you talking about?" Vida questioned her sister her worries growing with each cry her sister made.

"Nick. It's all my fault!"

"What is? What did Nick do?"

"He didn't do anything it's my entire fault. I told him I couldn't be with him."

"Maddie look at me. Tell me exactly what happened." Vida said as she pulled her sister's head out of her hands.

"Nick told me he wanted to be with me. He said that he would do anything for me. I didn't know what to say or do, I froze. I couldn't do it, I couldn't be with him and I don't know why! I told him I needed time to think, that we should just be friends. I don't know why I did it but I did and now there's no way of fixing it. Any of it!" Madison explained choking back sob after sob.

"You can always take it back. If Nick really wants to be with you then he will understand that you froze. You can tell him the truth, he'll understand." Vida said hugging her sister and rubbing her back trying to comfort her any way she could.

"No I can't take it back, I just really hurt him. I'm a horrible person now."

"Hey! You are not a horrible person, never have been, and never will be."

"I don't know what to do. I can't tell him the truth now." Maddie said as she started sobbing again. Vida let go of her sister and ran out side to see if Nick could possibly still be there. Unfortunately for all of them Nick was already gone driving around to clear his head of all the thoughts racing through it.

Vida didn't know what to do; all she could do was stand there wishing for Nick to come back up the driveway for her sister's sake. She stood there until the sun had set and the dark night sky had taken over. All the while Madison was still inside crying as hard as she was when she had first started.

Madison sat inside and cried. She cried for the times that she had already shared with Nick. She cried for the times she could have shared with him. She cried for the kiss that never happened. She cried for the kisses that could have happened but never will. She cried for hurting Nick. She cried for hurting herself. She cried for the times Nick would never hold her in his arms. She cried for the jokes they already shared and the jokes that they never will share. After a while she just cried because all she wanted was Nick.

After a few moments Nick parked his bike at the end of road, pulled off his helmet and slid off the bike and sat under the tree, their tree. He couldn't think of anything to do so he did the only thing he felt like doing, he sat there and waited. He waited for the time that Madison would walk across the street and asks him to be with her. He waited for the time that he could sit under the tree with her in his arms. He waited for the kisses that she would share with him and the secrets she would whisper in his ear. He waited for his time to be with Maddie.

Fin

OKAY as much as you guys hate me right now you're going to hate me even more once I say that this is my final chapter! I took this story and made it into something completely different than what I had originally wanted! Sorry for the bittersweet ending but I sat down to write this and that's how it came out!