Zack. Carpool. Home, mostly.

“I didn’t even do anything!” Madison protested. Not that her father was listening.

“Well, you didn’t tell us you weren’t going with Heather,” Waldon Cole said firmly, hardly looking up from the table where he was reading a magazine. “I don’t blame you for the police thing, sweetie. But you do need to tell us when you change your plans. We’ve been over the consequences of not.”

“One of my friends was in a goddamn car crash!” Chloe stood awkwardly to the side after having walked Madison in, glancing back and forth. Brandon was at the table, not adding much, but nodding when his father spoke. Her mother, Vanessa, was finishing cleaning up something on the counter. “It’s possible I was a LITTLE DISTRACTED!”

“You didn’t learn that until after you left school,” he answered, standing his ground. “Two weeks grounded. Those are the rules.”

“It … it was a really crazy day all-around, Mr. Cole?” Chloe said apprehensively. That, he looked up at. As did Brandon and his mother. Chloe suddenly became very aware that everyone’s eyes in the room were on her. “I mean, everyone went through a lot. Especially Logan, but it’s a big shock.”

“That’s true,” Waldon stated. It could have been her imagination, but Chloe could swear she saw the hint of a smile. She would have liked to believe it was at her moxie, but the shadowed edge of it for a second suggested something more unpleasant. It wasn’t a secret Waldon didn’t think much of the Ravers. Still, anyone being HAPPY about what happened felt sickening.

“Don, she’s not wrong,” Vanessa added, turning to face the kitchen entirely. “She’s a growing woman. It’s her senior year. We can go a little easy on her, can’t we?”

“Hm,” he muttered, considering it for a moment. “Alright. Two weeks house arrest. You’re allowed to have friends here. That’s as low as I’m going. Even with all the estrogen in the room against me.”

“Dad, like mom said, it’s senior year. No one I know isn’t crazy busy,” Madison argued. “And I heard the ‘no boys,’ on the end of it, so that’s going to cut off a lot of my friends already.”

“Would you like it to be back to total lockdown?” he asked, glancing at her. Madison huffed, but took shook her head stiffly.

“No, sir,” she grumbled. “Thank you.” Chloe felt a little odd, watching her give thanks for that. She knew her dad was infamously strict. Besides confirming it explicitly yesterday, it wasn’t hard to imagine that was the case just from how Brandon acted. Still, though.

“God, they piss me off!” Madison hissed as she stormed into her room, Chloe largely in tow sympathetically. She wanted to at least check in on her actual emotional state before heading back to the car. “Usually, ‘your friend spontaneously lost close family and couldn’t drive you,’ would be a pretty FUCKING solid distraction.”

“It should be. I’m really sorry, Madison,” Chloe said, prompting Madison to turn around and breathe out for a second.

“It’s not your fault. Thanks. For walking me in and for the fire support back there,” she sighed, brushing her hair out of her face and straightening herself out. “Lisa’s out of town, Del’s got practice, and I’m positive the squad’s going to want to go DO stuff. But having the option at all is better than not. It’s just exhausting putting up with the campaign to make me a nun around here.”

“Hey, we could hang out?” Chloe offered with a small, nervous pause. Partially, she just didn’t know Madison one-on-one that well yet, but that was a small concern. After all, if she wanted to, that’d solve itself. And if she didn’t, that would be embarrassing, but it would hardly matter. The larger apprehension came from Chloe’s mind flickering over her dream back at the jail, how she’d imagine Madison’s hip swaying, her lips moving, how she felt and smelled up against her … and if it was altogether wise to be spending more time with the woman while trying to parse all that out.

“Yeah, that’d be great!” Madison pepped, grinning broadly. “It’s not, like, super-fun up here, but I’d appreciate the company. Don’t you have soccer stuff? Am I remembering that wrong?”

“You’re not, but practice doesn’t run that long,” Chloe answered. “So, like … 4:30? 5:00-ish?”

“It’s a date!” Madison said, not even vaguely assuming the sudden storm of panicked emotion that buffeted Chloe’s brain for a moment at her precise wording. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just … it’s been a weird day or two,” the redhead brushed off, shaking her head a little.

“Fucking fair,” Madison conceded, flopping down on to her bed. “Heather and Logan’s family always seemed … untouchable. Larger than life. The idea that any of them are gone is surreal. And I don’t know much about this kind of thing. My grandparents are all still alive, I’ve never really lost anyone like that.”

“I’m sure Heather’ll appreciate you just being there for her and Logan. She’s taking charge pretty majorly on the whole thing. And you don’t strike me as the insensitive type when it comes to that sort of stuff.”

“Not that, no,” Madison giggled a little, propping herself up on her elbows. “It’s usually when I’m mad or happy I piss people off. Shooting off too easy, too loud. No idea what to do when people are really sad, though, so just usually stay quiet. Worked so far!” She tiled her head for a moment. “Shit, I’m keeping you when your ride’s waiting, aren’t I?”

“Fuck!” Chloe gasped, realizing it’d been a good bit since she followed the brunette cheerleader inside. “You’re right, I have to go! I’ll take my bike or something tomorrow, see you after school?”

“Count on it,” Madison said with a firm nod before Chloe retreated out the door, down the stairs, then very intently tried not to make eye contact with Madison’s dad in the living room as she exited.