"Are you going to the father-daughter dance?" Jason asked me one morning as I was heading out the door to go to school, Hanna was picking me up.
I stopped dead in my tracks, and my hand fell from the brass doorknob as I turned painfully slow to him in the kitchen. "Well, Dad isn't even in Rosewood anymore…and my real father…well, it'd be quite the scandal if it got out our father was Spencer's."
"She still hasn't mentioned anything to you?" he cocked an eyebrow.
I shook my head. "She's mentioned you, but she hasn't hinted that she knows we're related too."
"Maybe she figures it's only me, because Ali was in the middle of us, and she's the only one of us not to be a Hastings. Spencer would never guess that her dad had gone and betrayed her family a second time."
He shrugged and pulled the newspaper off the counter and began to read.
"Alright Jay, I'm going." I taunted, reaching for the door.
"Bye Mads!" he called lazily as he turned the page. Then as I turned to the door again, he called out, "Want me to take you?" He was referring to the dance. I made a disgusted face. "My brother taking me to a father-daughter dance…seems out of place. Thanks Jason, but no thanks."
He was ignoring me now.
I got an annoyed grim look on my face, then sighed and left, hurrying to the car and hopping in beside Spencer.
"Hey." She and Aria said from next to me, along with Hanna at the wheel and Emily in shotgun.
"Hey!" I said peppily, and we headed to school. As soon as we got out of the car, I pulled Spencer aside and asked if we talk privately.
She instantly agreed and urged the others on, so they wouldn't wait up.
"What's up?" she asked, concerned, adjusting the strap on her book bag.
"I'm your sister." I said rushed, so I wasn't sure she'd heard me right, but she did.
"But…I thought…Jason."
I shook my head, regretting I'd told her by how hurt she looked.
"Your dad had Jason, and then Ali was actually a full DiLaurentis…but Mom and your Dad…our Dad…he came back for me, and I was the result."
"Then how are you an almost exact replica of Ali?"
"The features that are different that makes me look nothing like her up close come from the Hastings. You never saw the resemblance between us? The exact same color hair? No? Nothing?" I sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now, but I didn't want this for us."
Spencer responded by coming close and embracing me tightly. "You're the best sister anyone could ask for. You put up with Ali, and you're nothing like her, even if you look like her. Jason is lucky to have you, and now I can see why he talks about you all the time like you're the best family to have. You're better than Melissa, trust me. I'm glad you told me Mads."
"We always had common interests." I smiled. "Like Toby." We both frowned as soon as I brought it up. My lip began to tremble.
"I'm so selfish- this must be so much harder for you than me." she sympathized. "You're best friends. God, I wish A would have left you alone."
I managed a goodbye and headed to class. I had been on the verge of telling her about the Noel thing at the school sleepover, but didn't. It'd eventually get back to Mike, and he'd be even more hurt if he heard it from someone other than me, not that I was planning to tell him, because of A.
Speaking of the devil, my phone rang, and I looked, seeing Mike was calling and answered.
"Guess who's DJ'ing at the father-daughter dance?" he said sarcastically, but happily.
"No way! Awesome!" I said with true enthusiasm.
"Are you going?"
I hesitated, and he said, "Please? I'll make sure we can have one dance, even though it's a dance for dads and their girls."
I laughed. "Alright. I have the perfect dress to wear too. I'll meet you there." He let me go, hearing the five-minute bell from the school, and I shut the phone.
When the dance actually came around, I pulled out a simple shimmering black strapless number and matching stiletto heels. I quickly changed and Jason drove me there.
"Have fun." He smiled, but he still looked worried as I climbed up the main entrance's stairs.
No wonder…the last time I'd spent most of my night here I'd been attacked, only for my attacker to be thwarted by my older brother.
But I waved to him assuringly and headed inside. The music immediately hit my ears, pounding. I got in, and Mr. Hastings saw me enter, then immediately looked away embarrassed. It struck a chord, knowing my father didn't care for me. Maybe he had some compassion for his only son, but another girl, and an illegitimate one? Why should she matter to him?
I awkwardly danced with Mr. Montgomery, because he joked I could be his daughter-in-law one day, and he felt bad my father wasn't in town any longer. I laughed and had a good time, and was his stand-in daughter for the night to distract him for Aria, but eventually I said I wanted to go find Mike, and headed to the booth to request not a song, but the DJ himself.
I saw him spinning tunes and went up to him and shouted in his ear if he wanted to dance.
He yanked his headphones off, tossed them to his partner, and went to the floor with me.
A fast song was playing, thank god, because a slow song meant talking, and I didn't want to risk the Noel thing coming out of my mouth. We danced and laughed, and it was perfect, but all too soon, we said goodbye and everyone departed home.
I kissed Mike goodnight, told him I loved him, wanted him back at school soon, and then Jason pulled up to take me home. He looked utterly relived to see I'd made it through the night. He wasn't my mother or father, but he was my guardian, and he was like a parent sometimes.
Soon after, Spencer came up to me to tell me Toby was back in town…and was back with Jenna, which obviously freaked me out. We both agreed to stay away from Toby.
"And I'm sorry about my dad. I talked to him about it and-"
"I don't care about him Spencer, and what he thinks of me. I get it. Being the third-born sucks let me tell you. I get it double the time. From two families. I'm forgotten in both. I'm a nobody."
"If you were a nobody, you wouldn't be so popular and have Mike Montgomery be head over heels for you, and A wouldn't target you." She whispered harshly.
I shut up, and we made sure our agreement would stand, but the second I saw him walking home with the girls, I headed across the street, seeing the police leaving, and ignoring Jenna was there, and ignoring the girls telling me not to go. After A's text to stay away, they sincerely wanted me to stay away for his and my sake. But I wasn't going to be stopped by an anonymous bitch right now. I had something I needed to do.
"Toby." I said as I came up behind him.
He spun around and seeing me…his expression was unreadable.
"Look who decided that I was worth talking too again." he said, taking pity on himself.
"Toby, I care about you. I never stopped."
"Then why did you leave in the time I needed you most? When Spencer broke up with me?"
I pressed my lips together, unable to tell him the answer. It was dangerous enough I was talking to him.
"You're not a good friend clearly Madeline. I'm there for you, but the second I need you, you run in the opposite direction."
"You know that's not true!" I practically exclaimed.
"Do I?" he stepped closer, almost threateningly.
"And I suppose Jenna is a good friend? You know what she's done, and I was there for you, along with the girls. Toby, I know you more than anyone else…what are you doing with her?" I dropped my voice, eyeing Jenna a few yards away.
"That's not really any of your concern anymore is it?" he narrowed his eyes.
"What…what do you mean?" I asked innocently, and scared.
"We're done. So you don't have to worry about me anymore." He went over to Jenna. "C'mon Jenna, let's go."
Jenna smiled. "I thought you'd never ask….Goodbye Madeline." They turned, got into Toby's truck, and drove away, leaving me in the dust, wiping away tears as I said goodbye in return. Just like that, I'd broken my friendship with Toby.
My phone vibrated, and I reluctantly pulled it out to look. The girls came rushing across the street, and I gaped at the message, it breaking my heart even more.
"Best friends for never! –A."
So simple…not very threatening…but it felt like the worst one yet, as my entire self felt heavy and sad, with an endless lump in my throat that refused to leave me alone.
"I…I should get home. I have a lot of homework I need to do…I'll call you all later." I managed, and sprinted away, ignoring the girls calling after me. They had looked over my shoulder and seen the text, but I didn't want their comfort right now.
I practically flew through the door, tossed my things aside, climbed the stairs like a cheetah, and into my room, where I threw myself onto my bed and began to sob into my pillow.
Toby…what was he doing with her? I had to do something…but he obviously didn't want me to.
After balling my eyes out, I sat up, fixed my hair and makeup, and pulled out some history homework to do. It was long and tedious, and I was on the second to last question when I heard it. A sort of crackling…and then I smelt something burning. I'd heard the door open before, and thought nothing of it, thinking it'd be Jay coming through the back door…but that made no sense, as he told me last night he wasn't going to be home tonight.
I headed downstairs wearily, and when I got closer to the kitchen, I saw the red and orange dancing lights and knew the back of the first floor was on fire.
I went in more, hearing voices, but the second I was in the center of the room, coughing, about to retrace my steps to where I'd be safe, there was an explosion, and I hit the ground, but everything went dark anyway…and I felt like I couldn't breathe…
...
REVIEW!
ALERT!
FAV!
