Rise Like The Sun

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

MADISON

Madison dresses for Mother's charity ball early, not wanting to be late.

She has to actively stop herself from demanding updates from Becky, because this is not her party and Mother's balls are too fabulous for anything to go wrong. Soft music plays in her room as she moves, reaching to pat Winston briefly.

Madison ignores the sixth missed call from her father and slips into the white and gold dress her mother had sent to her.

It's a beautiful lace Chanel dress that hugs her waist, rippling in supple waves around her legs, and the gold drop earrings that she wears sets off the outfit perfectly. Madison leans forward to fix her red lipstick, dabbing delicately at her lips, as she sweeps her brown curls to one side.

Her cheeks flushed with impatience, she wonders briefly, what Nick will look like when he sees her.

At the reminder of Nick comes the soft patter of her heart, before it inevitably speeds up. It feels physically heavy in her chest, like a soft, dull ache. Madison is beginning to realise what it means and once she'd gotten over her initial horror, she'd found that she didn't quite mind it.

Because she likes Nick.

She really likes him.

"I'm such an idiot," Madison moans to herself.

How can she like Nick?

He's... Nick.

He's annoying and brash and stubborn. He drives her utterly crazy and he keeps calling her out on things, refusing to let her manipulate him or even anyone anymore.  But even the thought of him brings a soft smile to her lips.

Madison lets out an impatient huff and presses her palms down on the wood of her dressing table, her brows furrowed together. Her reflection frowns back at her and Madison scowls at it. What is she supposed to do, with this uncertain swirl of tumultuous emotions inside her? She feels like a storm wrapped up within her, as though she might open her mouth and say the wrong thing and a torrent of emotion will let loose.

She doesn't know how to act anymore, or even what she'll do when she sees him in the ball. This is not like her. Madison does not do this. She doesn't get tongue-tied and nervous around boys; that's not her.

But even thinking about seeing Nick again makes her heart beat faster in anticipation.

Her phone vibrates, and Madison turns her head.

"Elliot," she says, catching the soft sigh. "Hi. Is everything alright?"

"Madison, you're on speakerphone. Also, you have got to stop thinking everything's wrong whenever I call you," Elliot tells her. "The rest of us are here at the club. Are you sure you can't come?"

"Hi, Madison!" Lula and Maria shout through the phone, happily. "We miss you, sweetie!"

"You know I have to attend this ball," Madison tells them, her lips tugging up into a fond smile. "I miss you all too."

They've all begun to make a conscious effort to communicate and include each other, especially Elliot.

Madison has always suspected that he's always known more than he lets on and she thinks that he might have realised how jealous and lonely she used to be, whenever they left Redwood without her. While the humiliation burns hotly within her, Elliot hasn't said a word about it, but he keeps calling her and making sure that she doesn't feel alone or left out anymore.

It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her and she adores him for it.

Elliot is still talking, catching her up.