Submission

(Left) hook, line and sinker

As the girls met up in the parking lot Maddie’s phone ding’ed, but before she could read the message, Alison’s phone ding’ed too.

“I just got a message from Erica telling me we have to go to the hollow tonight” Maddie stated, as Alison was fishing her phone out of her book bag.

“I got it too” Alison said, after reading her message.

“I’m game, if you are” Maddie said, hoping a girls night out would take her mind off things.

“Oh I’m game, but.. you do know you can’t drink.. I mean.. just in case your are..” Alison reminded, pointing to Maddie’s stomach.

“I know, I know, but I can still have fun right??” Maddie stated rolling her eyes at Alison.

“Then that’s settled, it’s gonna be you, me and the maybe baby, out on the town tonight!!” Alison laughed, locking arms with Maddie and escorting her to her car while Maddie just shook her head.

Alison was truly crazy, or maybe it was just Maddie rubbing off on her over the years, either way, she was f*****g Amazing!

———————

Erica needed to be filled in, and they needed to get ready, so they picked her up and drove to Maddie’s house.

There had been a multitude of questions, confusion and lastly pure shock to know about the possible baby, but Erica had handled it well, and once she had come to terms with it, she had actually found it very romantic, and had even gushed over the beautiful ring Maddie had received.

A whirlwind romance and secret wedding right under peoples noses!

Erica was truly a romantic at heart, but often men would take advantage of it, promising one thing, and delivering nothing, that was what Ben had done, whispered sweet nothings into her ear, then choosing Maddie’s half sister just to further his career.

It had hurt, a lot.

She had waited 2 years for that man to commit to her, just to be left via text message

{ I don’t Think you are right for me, I’m sorry}

She had tried to Call him, but he had blocked her, she had shown up at his work but was sent away, his assistant telling her he was much too busy at the moment.

She had been heartbroken until she had seen him flaunting Bianca on his arm, that’s when she knew he wasn’t worth her tears.

She had kissed a few frogs after that trying to find her prince, before now meeting Oliver.

She didn’t know what they were just yet, but she still had hope he might turn out to be a prince.

And hearing about Maddie and Richard had made her hopeful that fairytales did in fact come true.

She desperately wanted that too.

After the girls had gotten ready, Maddie drove them to The Hollow, since she couldn’t drink, there was no need to order a taxi.

They found a table near the bar, and Maddie had ordered two cosmo’s, 4 shots and a coke.

Even though Maddie couldn’t drink, she was still enjoying the night, and the fact was that watching Alison and Erica get tipsy was kinda fun, well at least until her half sister had entered, with Ben and minions in tow.

“oh for the love of god!” Maddie exclaimed directing the girls attention to their perpetual pain in the a*s.

Alison had groaned, but a slight smile spread across Erica’s face.

Maddie noticed, and when Erica asked to borrow Maddie’s phone, she didn’t hesitate to hand it over.

What ever Erica was planing to do, it was bound to become interesting.

Erica pulled her own phone up and pressed the screen, then pressed on Maddie’s phone before handing it back to Maddie with a smirk, turning to observe the group.

A minute later, Ben dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone, and stood still while starring at it.

One minute ticked by.. two minutes ticked by.. three minutes ticked by, and then he finally looked up, shoving the phone at Bianca yelling something Maddie wish she could hear, but the damn bass was too high.

Bianca looked at the screen wide eyed for a minute, then turned it off and looked at a furious Ben.

She was looking at him pleadingly, while he was waving his arms around turning red in the face.

Not knowing what they were saying made the whole thing look comical.

“What is going on?” Alison questioned, and Erica just shrugged and said “payback”

After a few minutes of Bianca pleading and even trying to grab his arm a few times, she bursted out crying and ran to the bathroom, minions in tow.

Erica, Alison and Maddie bursted out laughing just as a new song started and the 2 seconds of silence had alerted Ben of their presence.

He stalked over to them, pointing a menacing finger at Erica, who was trying to stop herself from laughing.

“ you!! what the hell do you think you’re doing” he yelled, reaching their table.

“ you were telling my business to Bianca, so I figured you would want to know hers too” Erica retorted, crossing her arms, trying not to giggle.

“If you think I’m gonna let some w***e from my past ruin a good thing, you got another thing coming!” he yelled, turning almost blue in the face.

That made Erica stop laughing instantly.

She had loved him, and he knew it.

He had taken advantage of that fact every time he had called her up late at night asking to come by, she had gone to him.

“Now you wait a minute buster” Alison said defensively.

“Shut your mouth b***h! This is between me and that pile of Shitty mistakes over there” Ben yelled, stepping forward and slapping Erica so hard she saw the sun, moon and stars before being caught by Maddie as she plummeted towards the floor.

As maddie tried to get Erica onto a chair, a deep voice yelled “what the hell did you do to my girlfriend!!”

Maddie looked up to see Oliver barreling into Ben like a linebacker, knocking him onto the floor and getting as many punches in as possible before Jason managed to pull Oliver off of him, grabbing Oliver by the arms as he huffed and puffed trying to free himself.

That’s when Bianca came out the bathroom, screeching at the sight before her, and running to Ben’s side trying to help him up.

“you better take that piece of s**t out of here, if you want to keep him in one piece” Jason yelled, still holding Oliver back.

Bianca and her friends managed to get Ben to his feet, and pulled him towards the exit.

Maddie shifted her focus back to Erica and noticing she had a split lip.

Maddie dipped a napkin in her coke and placed it on her lips, raising Erica’s arm to hold it as she checked for bruises.

Oh she was definitely going to get bruises, Maddie watched the blue lines already forming on her cheek and jaw and she had a busted vessel in her eye turning the white in her eye a crimson red.

Once Ben was completely out of sight, Oliver calmed down enough for Jason to loose his grip, and he rushed to Erica’s side.

“What the hell did that Mother fucker do to you babe??” Oliver said in a worried tone looking Erica’s face over while rubbing her arm comfortingly.

“I’m fine” Erica stated, clearly rattled but not going to show weakness in a room full of strangers.

“I’m taking you home” Oliver said with finality, lifting Erica up gently by the arm.

Maddie quickly folded a napkin with all the ice cubes from her coke “Make her hold this to her cheek while you’re driving” Maddie said, handing over the napkin to Oliver.

As they passed the stunned bouncer, Oliver nodded and said “I Know, I’ll see myself out” before leaving out the door.

Maddie plopped down on her chair needing a minute to digest everything, and Alison who had been busy explaining the situation to Jason, took a seat at the table.

Maddie had put half her hand into her coke trying to get the ice cubes out, so as waiter walked by, she told them to throw it out and ordered a new one.

“That was nuts!” Alison said, shaking her head “ I wonder what made him that mad?” She continued.

Maddie nodded, then realized something..

she pulled out her phone and sure enough, there was a number in her messages she didn’t know, right above Erica’s.

As she opened up the conversation she saw that a video had been sent from Maddie’s phone to that number.

Maddie scooted closer to Alison as she pressed play on the video.

It was Bianca, flirting with Richard in the bar at the hotel.

She was touching him, tugging down her dress, and just shamelessly trying to seduce him. As she leans into speak, Maddie and Alison raise their ears to the phone, trying to hear what Bianca was saying.

Both girls eyes go wide as they hear Bianca offering herself to him, saying he can do what ever he wants with her, even anal, and him declining flatly, saying she was of no interest to him.

“Holy moly!” Alison exclaimed once the video ended, leaning over to fill Jason in on what happened.

Maddie thought back to the episode in the bar.

Bianca had said he had accepted her offer, and Maddie had acted like a total i***t because of that, and embarrassed herself further in front of him, by ugly crying in her room!

Maddie was definitely going to get Bianca back for that, she thought to herself feeling the anger rising inside of her.

But there was also something else.. a tiny part of her that felt relieved that Richard had declined Bianca’s offer, it was the same part of Maddie that had though it endearing that he wore a suit to the courthouse, and that had been surprised to find out he was wearing a wedding band.

“What are you smiling about” Alison asked, pulling Maddie mind back to the present.

Maddie didn’t realize she had started to smile..

“I was just thinking of how Oliver called Erica his girlfriend, I think hearing that she might think it was worth being slapped” maddie said, making Alison smile at the realization.

“I hope he doesn’t break her heart too” Maddie said pointedly, looking at Jason.

“Oh he won’t” Jason responded “ my brother might be a man of few words, but he has fallen for her, hook, line and sinker” Jason stated, giving the girls a reassuring nod before pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“You might wanna trade that thing for something a little less conspicuous” he then said, looking up at Madde from his phone, who gave him a confused look in return.

Jason sighed “your husband is coming, and if I connected the dots, he sure as hell will too” he said, pointing at Maddie’s coke.