Song for the chapter: Birthday, by Selena Gomez

"Joey?" I say in shock.

"Happy birthday!" She squeals as she throws her arms around me and spins us around.

"Joey," I chuckle. "What are you doing here?"

"Mads, you smell like a dude." Joey pulls back and wrinkles her nose at me. "But did you really think I'd miss my big sisters birthday?"

She bends down and picks up a container before she shuts the door. I follow her to the kitchen as she puts it on the counter and reveals the cake on the inside that read happy birthday, m!

"How on earth did you get away with any of this?" I smile, looking at her.

"I told my dad I was going to a friends to study. They're gonna call and ask if I can spend the night, and because my dad is so passive, he'll agree and I'll get to stay here."

I was happy, I really was. But Ryker was also upstairs, and that wasn't going to end well.

"You're sure this is solid?"

"If he says no, I'll just have Dev come pick me back up and take me home. No worries," she smiles. "Now let's dance! It's your birthday!"

Joey presses on her phone and Birthday by Selena Gomez starts playing. I laugh; Joey is as straight as they come. But put her in a room alone with Selena? That girl would abandon everything she knows for her.

As Joey starts to dance her way towards me, I laugh at her ridiculous moves. Especially when she tries to twerk and fails.

"What was that?" I laugh.

"Don't hate cause you don't got my moves." Joey slaps her hip and grabs my hand. "Come on, it's your birthday. What are we doing?"

I shake my head. "I wasn't planning on doing much, really."

Joey's brows raise. "And Ryker? What about him?"

"What about him?"

"Aren't you guys going out for your birthday?"

"It's just a day I turn a year older. Now I'm twenty-four. What's the big deal?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Joey scoffs. "Your birthday is important. And it gives you a reason to party." She winks. "Is he busy or something?"

"Who cares about Ryker when I have my sister around," I poke her shoulder, making her narrow her eyes.

"Does he even know, Maddi?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"You didn't tell him!"

"It never came up." I try to defend.

"Yeah right. That dude is obsessed with you."

I furrow my brows. "How would you know? You only met him the once."

She twists her lips. "You only need to meet the guy once to know he's totally obsessed with you."

I laugh. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't be naive." She retorts.

I smile, as does she. Then I extend my arms out and she steps into them, giving me a proper hug.

"I miss you, Mads." She says to me.

"I miss you, too, Jo."

She leans against the counter, crossing her arms. "No sad, depressing court talk tonight. It's your birthday and it deserves to be celebrated to the fullest! Let's cut some cake and watch Sixteen Candles."

"Dork," I mutter as I walk around the counter to grab a knife.

Since the window in the kitchen is right in front of the driveway, I was able to see the headlights pull in. I squinted in order to see better, and my heart momentarily stopped beating when I saw my dad stepping—well, stumbling—out of the car.

I turn to Joey.

"Josephine, listen to me." She immediately looked at me, because I never use her full name unless it's serious. "I need you to go up to my room and lock yourself in there. And no matter what you hear, nobody can leave that room. Do you understand?"

"Maddi, you're scaring me."

"Promise me, Josephine."

Promises were not something we took lightly. Mom always said that you should only promise something if you intent to keep your word on it.

She nods. "I promise."

I give her a small smile. "Go."

She turned and dashed up the stairs. I grabbed a knife as I heard dad fumbling with the lock. I walked over to the container, dad slamming the door open. It made me jump slightly, but I was trying to be cool.

"You heard me messing with the damn door and you couldn't come to help?" He slams it shut. "Some fucking daughter you are."

"Glad to see you're alive."

"What was that?" He slurred.

"I don't know, dad. You disappear for almost a week and you can't even check in? That's messed up."

"I told you," he walks into the kitchen. "I deserved a damn break."

"Right," I nod.

He looks at the counter. "Oh, well look at that. Fatty Maddi's back." He snickered. "Not that you ever really left."

I took a deep breath. "Back off, dad."

"And just who the hell do you think you are?" He raised his voice.

"Last time I checked, your daughter. Not that seems to matter to you."

He walks around the counter, standing beside me. His eyes are brimmed with red and I can smell the booze on him. But I wasn't cowering away.

"You're an ungrateful little shit, you know that."

"And you're a selfish asshole, you know that."

There was no warning as to what came next—dad lifted his arm and back handed me, hard. So hard, in fact, I did a one-eighty degree turn and stumbled backwards.

My whole left side of my face stung as I reached out to grab it. My chest was heaving up and down faster as I realized that he hit me; my father actually hit me.

"Look what you did." Dad sighs before Joey's container of cake flies to the floor in front of me, scattering everywhere. "Eat up, Fatty."

I was shaking and all I could see was red.

"Fuck you!" I shout as I rise up.

Dad's eyes were furious as they looked at me, but I was done with this shit.

"You heard me, fuck you." I scream at him. "You're a real piece of shit father, you know that? You think you're the only one hurting because mom's gone? You're not!" I feel the tears falling, but I can't stop. "I hurt, too, but you're too self-absorbed in your own pity to give two shits. And Joey? What about her? She lost her, too! The whole world lost a ray of sunshine, not just you!"

I wipe my face, my left side hurting, but not caring at the moment.

"And despite you being a sack of shit, I still stuck around to help. You know why? Because right before mom died, she told me I'd have to take care of everything! And news flash: she was right. Because you haven't done shit for me since she died." I sniffle. "I stuck around, paying half the bills, when I should be saving all the money I can for Joey! Because she needs me!"

Dad was just staring at me, not daring to say a word. Or too shocked. Who knows.

"But enough is enough." I laugh hysterically. "I'm so done with you, dad. I've tried to help you for seven years. But you can't help someone who doesn't wanna help themselves, first." I scoff. "So I'm done; I'm done paying your bills, I'm done being your verbal punching back, I'm done with you. I'm gone and you're gonna wish you'd been even the slightest bit appreciative to me."

And just like that, I ran out of the house.

I wasn't sure what I was doing, or where I was going. But I just ran. I ran and ran and ran until my feet gave out from under me and I collapsed on the pavement below me. And once I was on the ground, I cried.

And when I say cry, I mean sobbed. I was an uncontrollable mess. My face stung, my throat burned from yelling and crying so much. I was broken and I knew it.

After what seemed like hours, I stopped crying. I kinda just laid on the road, wishing for a truck to come by at that exact moment and take away all this pain. But then I remembered my mom, and Joey, and Ryker, and Karmiah, and even Ali and Brody and I knew how selfish that was.

I got up with a huff when a car slowed to a stop.

"Hey, you o—Maddi? Is that you?"

I bent down and saw Brody, of all people, sitting in the drivers seat.

"Hey." I sounded like a dying horse.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." I shake my head.

"You need a ride? It's dark now and would hate for you to be getting lost out here."

"Sure."

I opened the door and got in, clicking my seatbelt.

"Where to?"

I sigh. "The library, if you don't mind."

I can feel his look, but I don't have the energy to fight anything right now. But I knew one thing for sure, and I knew he'd know where to find me.

When Brody finally pulled over beside the library, I thanked him and shut the door. He wished me a happy birthday—I tried really hard not to scoff in his face—and drove off. I walked down the square and turned the corner, walking down the road a bit.

My heart squeezed when I saw Ryker already sitting there with his head in his hands.

I walked towards him slowly, my footsteps catching his attention. His head snapped up and he was immediately on his feet, walking over towards me. He didn't say anything, he just engulfed me in his warm embrace, which I needed because I felt cold.

He gently rubbed my back up and down, just comforting me in the way that I needed from him. I press my head on his chest and for just a second, it's him and I. Nothing else matters.

And the moment disappears.

"Where's Joey?" I croak.

Ryker frowns as he looks at me, his eyes scanning my face.

"I took the kid back to her friend's house. She's fine."

I exhale shakily and nod. Ryker hooks his arm around my shoulders and guides me to his car. He opens the door and I climb in while Ryker goes around the other side. I stare out of the window, dazed, until we stop inside his garage.

Ryker says nothing, he just gets out and opens my door. His arm is securely around my waist as he leads me up the stairs towards his room. I look at him once he lets go. He rustles around in his drawers for something, pulling out a shirt and a pair of boxers.

"Here, you can change in there." He says, voice hard.

I grab the stuff and walk into his bathroom. While it was tempting to just change, I was lying on the actual road for God knows how long. So I turned on the water and stripped. I let the hot water encase my whole body, slightly stinging my knees. I use Ryker's stuff to shower and shut off the water, drying myself off in a towel and slipping on the boxers and pulling the shirt over my head.

I didn't even bother with my hair, I just opened the door. Ryker was leaning against the door, looking at the ground. I laced my fingers together and sighed.

"I'm sorry."

His head lifted and he had a straight face. "Why are you sorry?"

I shrug. "For being an imposition, I guess. For everything? I don't know, but you seem mad at me, so."

"You think I'm mad at you?" He dangerously chuckles. "Maddison it's taking every ounce of strength I have not to walk across the street and rip that guys head off."

I shift on my feet. "Oh."

Ryker moves and takes a few steps towards me. He's watching me, his mind going a million miles a minute, I can see it. He's fighting something in himself. From what I know about his anger issues which led him to fighting in the first place, I know he can't contain it.

But he is, for me. And that makes my heart beat just a little faster right now.

"Do you mind if I crash here tonight?" I give a sad chuckle.

"You really think I was gonna let you leave?" The corners of his mouth lift slightly.

"No, I guess not." I smile.

Ryker nods, telling me he's gonna take a quick shower. I climb into his bed, his scent surrounding me, and wait for him to come out.

After what he heard, I guess he deserves a bit of explanation.

A/N

✨protect Maddison at all costs✨

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