I. Heart Of Gold (Uneditied) ✔️ ORIGINAL

Twenty-One - Buck Me

Maddox's POV:

I sat in the ER waiting to be released when I got a phone call. It was from my mom. I was thankful I wasn't badly injured, just sore and cut up, but I knew my mom would tell me to not drive ever again. "Hey mom..." I said as I put the phone to my ear.

"Maddox, thank God you're okay! Red was driving past and saw your Jeep in the ditch and saw an ambulance pass him. He called me right away. What happened?" My mom sounded panicked.

"A buck ran out in front of me as I was turning the bend on Orchard. I slammed my breaks and spun out. And when I hit the ditch, the car flipped on it's top. Got some minor cuts and am sore, but I'm good otherwise." I explained.

I heard my mom sigh in relief, "Glad you're okay. I can come pick you up. I'll be there in ten minutes," she told me.

I really didn't want to leave yet. I wanted to see Emmi for a moment before I actually left, but I was in the ER for three hours and knew she was probably resting. I gave in to my mom, "Alright. I'll see you soon." I said. We hung up and I took a better look at my phone to see thirty messages from Emmi. A soft smile crossed my lips at how much she cared and how worried she was. As she should have been. She did witness it. I noticed she called me too and left a message.

I listened to it with my visual voice-mail and she was crying the whole time. That broke my heart. "Maddox, please call me. Please be okay. I'm so sorry. We should have just hung up. Then this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault!" The message was finished and my eyes filled with tears. She was too sweet for her own good. None of this was her fault.

I scrolled through her texts and they were all apologies and praying I was okay. Some were saying sorry she was bombarding me and being overbearing, but I didn't mind it at all. She just cared, anyone with a brain could see that through her words and actions on a daily basis. And the last one was saying she was going to try and get some sleep, but I could text or call to let her know I was okay.

I knew she wouldn't be sleeping well until I told her I was fine, so I called her. "Hello?" She answered groggily.

"Sorry to wake you, Em. I just wanted to let you know I am okay. No major injuries, just some minor cuts and sore. Probably gonna have some bruising too. And I wanted to let you know, none of what happened was your fault. I was paying attention to the road, not you. The buck jumped out in front of me and I didn't want to hit it." I explained.

I heard quiet sobs on the other end, "I'm so glad you're okay. I don't think I'd been able to be okay if you died..."

"Hey, I'm hard to get rid of. I'm not going by a buck scaring me." I chuckled softly.

"That's not funny, Maddox." Emmi sniffled.

"I'm sorry. I won't joke about that." I felt bad. From what I got from the bits and pieces I heard her and her parents talking about this morning, there must have been a death in the family that they were really close to. "My mom's picking me up in five minutes, but I just wanted to call so you wouldn't worry about me anymore than you already have been."

"Thank you. Please text me when you get home."

"I will, don't worry. Oh, and I'm not sure when I'll be getting a new car...so we may have to meet at school, when you return back."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know. And of course it's so close to winter...what luck." I heard a soft chuckle from her. "I hate walking when it's super cold."

"Can't your parent's drive you? Or Gigi?" I asked.

"Gigi actually doesn't have her license. Her parents drop her off and pick her up. I couldn't ask them to do the same for Brooks and I. And my mom leave super early for work. Dad does too. So that's why Brooks and I always walk." She explained.