<strong>Name:</strong>Madelyn Kovac<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Just before she moved to Texas.<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>No one.<br/><br/>It was a hot evening in early July. Even the suburbs were feeling this heatwave. Madelyn lay next to Nathan in the hammock in his backyard like so many nights before. She suddenly felt a headache coming on, but tried to ignore it. The smell of fresh cut grass tickled her nose and made her sneeze. From outside the fence, Alice's voice responded. "Bless you."<br/><br/>Nathan groaned. "What is she doing here?" He often spoke to Alice in a teasing tone like this, and she gave it right back to him.<br/><br/>Alice grabbed a lawnchair from the porch, plopped it down in front of the hammock and sat down. "Hey, Jagoff. Nice to see you too. For your info, I was invited." She said with a grin.<br/><br/>Maddy gave Nathan a playful smack as she climbed out of the hammock. "Both yinz sha-up. I told her to come by. I wanted to talk to you guys." She moved a chair for herself over to the hammock, so she could see both of them in the fading dusk. The seriousness of the last phrase had piqued their interest. She might as well just get it out. "I've decided to go with my Dad to Texas. We're leaving in a week."<br/><br/>Nathan jumped out of the hammock, more upset than she'd ever seen him. "What do you mean you're going with him? I thought you were going to ask him to stay with Alice and her family to finish highschool here! What happened to that!? Whatever. You should probably know I won't waste my time waiting for you."<br/><br/>Madelyn was shocked and distraight at his reaction and tears welled up in her eyes. Her headache reached its peak as she tried to explain. "I...I didn't even ask him. I couldn't. He's my dad, I can't let him go out to Texas alone. What if something happened to him. He's a lot older than your Dad, and he needs me. My God. It's only a year... I've given you every part of me... EVERY PART... and you..." She tried very hard not to cry. Her headache vanished by the time she was done speaking.<br/><br/>Now Alice was angry. She walked over and cocked her fist back and let it rip right into his eyesocket. "Jesus, Nate. Isn't this hard enough on her?! Fuck you! I'm not keeping your secret anymore either."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Mood music: Between the Lines by Sarah Bareilles</div><div class="spoiler_body"> "Between the Lines" - Sara Bareilles (lyrics) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8e45WHIduM#ws) </div></div><br/>Madelyn watched as her world unraveled just a little bit. It was too much and the tears flowed freely. Deep down, she already knew what Alice was talking about. She'd suspected for a while and she finally said the name. "Ashley Franco."<br/><br/>Nathan held his eye but made no move to retaliate. His gaze was only on the ground now. He was a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Guilty as sin. He quietly repeated the words. "Yeah. Ashley Franco." His earlier blow up had been an attempt to spare her the real details about why he wanted to break up.<br/><br/><em>My memory is cruel. I'm queen of attention to details, defending intentions if he fails. Until now, he told me her name... It sounded familiar in a way. I could have sworn I'd heard him say it ten thousand times... If only I had been listening</em><br/><br/>He loved Ashley, she knew that now. Ashley was never anything but kind and sweet, if not just a little ditzy. She probably didn't even know Nathan already had a girlfriend.<br/><br/>If Madelyn was honest with herself, she knew she'd been neglectful too. Most of the time she treated Nathan as less of a boyfriend and more an analogue for her older brothers who'd gone off to their own lives. She'd felt him drifting away for a long time, but hadn't been ready to let go. She'd even given him her virginity thinking she might be able to draw him back. It was a futile effort.<br/><br/>Nathan broke the thick silence. "I love her. I'm sorry... I'll always love you as a friend."<br/><br/>His words didn't make it hurt any less. In less than a moment, their relationship had been shattered beyond salvage. She choked her words through the tears."I guess this is goodbye then."<br/><br/>He walked across the lawn and kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah, I guess so. Goodbye Maddy. I hope you can forgive me someday."<br/><br/>Madelyn shivered even in the hot summer air and Alice wrapped her arms around her shoulders then guided her out of the yard and back home. As they walked she tried to explain. "He told me it was just once. I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."<br/><br/>She was cut off by Madelyn's words. "It's okay. The only reason I didn't know was because I didn't want to."<br/><br/>Alice was crying too now, seeing her best friend in such pain, and attempted a small measure of humor. "Well... at least you're free to pick up some hot Texan now, so it can't be all bad." The joke fell a little flat, but still brought a hint of a smile to Maddy's tear soaked lips so alice continued. "You can bring 'Sexy Texas Joe' back with you next year and we can all go to Pitt together like we planned. We'll be roommates and everything."<br/><br/>Madelyn nodded and hugged her friend tightly. "I'd like that. It sounds like a plan."