*Five Months Later*
Maddie sighed as she walked inside, tired from a long day of school and practice. "Hey Mads how was practice?" Zach asks while tossing a baseball gently with May on the couch. "Really good actually, but we're trying to get this new trick for one of the stands we're going to perform and it's pretty difficult, Autumn almost fell from the top." Maddie explained while slipping off her shoes. "Why aren't you on the top?" May asks confused looking over to her sister as she sits down beside May. "Well I'm going to be in front, Rocky and Maddison are going to hold me in a split in the air and I'm going to move while they move acting like I'm controlling them." Maddie explains and May nods in excitement thinking about the trick making the two older sibling laugh lightly. "Oh, Maddie, Mom wants to talk to us before dinner." Zach says and Maddie nods as she gets up looking to the counter which was full of ingredients for salad and spaghetti.
"Looks like we better go now then, we'll be back." Maddie says looking May as she walks down the hall with Zach to the master bedroom which Mrs. Dempsey occupied. "Maddie, you're home." Karen smiles to her child as she sits up in her bed and nods seeing her son come in as well. "I am, I also heard you wanted to talk to us?" Maddie asks scrunching her eyebrows slightly while coming forward to sit on the edge of the bed between Zach and her mom.
"Uhm, yes, I'm afraid I have some news." She says folding her hands in her lap making the teens look to her face confused waiting for her to elaborate. "Well, I guess the Bakers canceled on the deal they were offered so the trail with continue."
Listening to the news both Zach and Maddie look to each other with wide eyes, they both thought this was behind them. They thought Hannah was behind them. "Uhm, do you know when?" Maddie asks, they both knew they were most likely on the witness list, and Maddie for one was not excited but she also knew sometimes trial took years to get started, maybe she'd have time to get prepared. "The trial will start to tomorrow." Maddie let out a breath and Zach brushed her hand over his face. "Do we-" Karen quickly cut off her son trying to get the pair some sort of comfort.
"No, neither of you will be on trail tomorrow.." The siblings nodded and walked out of the bedroom dazed, both going to Zach's room.
"Are you kidding me?" Zach asked upset. "We have enough going on and they have to bring this back? The school is not the reason she killed herself, it was Bryce, if anyone should be on trial it should be him and Mr. Porter, they're the ones that messed her up." Maddie stared up at her brother, he was mad. And he had every right to be. He cared about Hannah, a lot more than most and he gets put on trail for taking a couple of letters?
"I mean, seriously? Alex is just starting to get better, and him and Jess are just coming back to school and they're going to add this onto them?" Zach asks upset, this was going to hurt a lot. So many people have been rebuilding within the past five months. Zach was a kinder and braver person, Alex was getting stronger, Jess was coming to terms with what happened to her, Maddie was moving on, and even Clay got into a relationship.
After a few moments of thinking Maddie froze and looked up quickly making Zach frown. "What?" He asked looking down at his sister.
"I'm going to have to talk about Justin."
Walking through the hall of Liberty High was always weird but it was ever worse this morning. Everyone was staring at everyone, with the trail coming out they knew who was going to testify, or at least they thought they did, plus with Alex and Jessica back, they were staring twice as hard at their friends. And their used to be friends. "No, Clay I really don't know yet my mom hasn't told me anything." Maddie sighs as she talks to Clay through her phone while shutting your locker. "Oh hey, I'll call you back later, I see Jess. Bye." Maddie quickly hangs up the phone while shoving it in her pocket and racing her brother to the pair of friends walking with their arms linked.
"I'll take that." Zach says while grabbing Alex's bag and Maddie quickly joins but linking her arm with Jess's. "Good morning you two. Looking as ravishing as ever." Maddie smiles and they both smile lightly at the bright comment.
"Welcome back." Zach smiles at the two while the the girls walk ahead of them to stop at Jess's locker. "Thank you." Jess smiles.
"I mean to ask you guys about my note." The group looks at the wobbly teen confused and lets Zach speak for them. "What note?" He asks while adjusting Alex's bag on his shoulder. "My suicide note." He says pulling it out and Maddie's eyes go wide and Zach immediately pushes his hand down. "Jesus, put that away."
"It's not radioactive."
"No, I know, it's just.." Maddie sighs while Zach trails off and Maddie finishes for him. "We're not allowed to talk about suicide. Or you. Or Hannah." Maddie finishes while helping Jessica pull off her jacket.
"Says who?" Jess asks while grabbing a hold of her jacket once it was off. "Says the school." Zach says with a shrug. "They made a rule the day after you...yeah."
"Oh, shit." Jess says turning sightly away making the group turn to look where she wasn't. "Yeah, let's go. class with Mr. Wood first?" Zach asks helping Alex only for him to mention that he can't move that fast yet. "What are you running from, Zach?" Jess asks her tone defensive.
"Nothing." Zach says while looking away.
"Hey! Jess, Alex, welcome back, you guys." Bryce says while walking towards them with Scott and Monty behind them. "Sup, Alex? Jess." Monty acknowledges before lifting his arm for Maddie to come under it.
Of course it was hard to be around Bryce but after everything he never even really spoke to her anymore, and she cared for Monty too much just to drop them. "Hey, Princess." Monty smiled and Maddie holds her hand out for a fist bump with Scott, which was their way of saying hello. "Seriously? 'welcome back'?" Alex asks upset making Maddie look down. She felt bad to be walking away from them but Monty was her rock right now, she needed him.
"See ya guys, I'm gonna walk her to first." Monty shouts his goodbyes as he turns the corner with Maddie and then finally looks down ready to give her his full attention.
"I heard the trails on." Monty said and Maddie nodded. "You ready for that?" Monty asked and Maddie shook her head. "Not in the slightest. I just finished getting over all of that shit, and I just started really getting back into everything I'm good at, and I'm finally starting to let go of Justin. But this.. This is just going to drag it all right back up." Maddie says upset while she stops at the door for her class.
Monty sighed, this trail was shitty in his mind. It was going to mess up things for both of his best friends, he had to do something. "Just think about it this way. It can be your last bit of closure or whatever it is you were talking about before." Maddie shakes her head and with a roll of her eyes she waves him goodbye and walks into her class.
"Hey Clay." Maddie smiled greeting the pale boy in the hall who sighs. "I swear when one Dempsey leaves the next one just walks up." Maddie chuckles slightly and shakes her head. "Sorry, I just wanted to see how you were doing, I figured you went to court this morning." Clay nodded his head while muttering something about Tyler's lies.
"Listen uh, I'm sorry you don't get to testify but I promise I'm going to try as hard as I can to get light shed onto the whole situation." Maddie says without clarifying though they both knew what she was talking. "Okay, that's great, uh, can we talk later?" Maddie nods and simply tells him to text her when and where and left to her locker.
"Hey, Maddog Maddie, there you are. I've been looking for you all over." Tony says as Maddie puts a book into her bag. "Oh, really? I'm sorry. What's up?" She asks and Tony sighs. "I got called to testify." Maddie's eyes went wide. "Shit. I'm sorry. Do you think they'll bring up.." She trails off and looks around. "Anything?" She asks referring to the several secrets he had shared with her. "I mean I hope not but if so this could end really badly. I mean I want Hannah to get to rest in peace and this to all end so she can get her justice but I don't want to loose my family over it." He says and Maddie nods.
"I'm sorry and I hope they won't. But maybe we go over some things to say in case anything seems to be leading to it?" Maddie suggests and he nods. "Yeah, sounds good. Thanks."
As Maddie walks out the door of the gym to go home she's stopped by Clay. "Hey, can we talk now?" He ask and Maddie nods. "Yeah, Monet's?" She asks while holding up the keys she got to her car which she received last month for her birthday. "Sounds good." He says while getting into the passenger seat.
"So what's up?" She asks with a smile while taking a sip from her latte. "Well, last night Skye and I.." Clay trails off making Maddie's eyes go wide as he sets her cup down. "Well, forget the details, uhm, she's been cutting again, and on her legs and I just I don't know.. I worried for her. She won't use the rubber bands or call me or anything." Maddie sighs and nods.
"Okay, as someone who has done this she is not doing it to hurt you. She's doing it to have some control in her own life, and controlling her own pain might be the only thing that she thinks she can control. The reason she doesn't call you is because once that idea is in your brain it stays there. But I suggest you get her some help because you don't want it to go too far." Maddie says sadly and Clay nods silently.
~~~Authors Note~~~
I'm so excited to start this! Sorry the first chapter's kinda sloppy, I don't have any ideas till Clay had the idea to bring Justin back so most of this beginning part will just be Maddie's part in the episodes but I don't feel too bad for this being all over the place because so is this epsiode haha. See you with another update soon!
{4.18.20}