Gideon's Point of View — The Night of the Attack
I answered the door. To say I was surprised to see Maddie on my doorstep wasn't a lie. She'd stayed away as much as Grace had. I saw her sometimes when she came to meet Zach, but we didn't talk. Usually I'd already turned and was walking out.
I'd been trying to spend less time with Zach, Maddie, and Jay. How quick he'd been to replace me. And here I'd thought he was a friend.
It boiled my blood when I saw them together. He told me over and over that they were just friends, but friends weren't that close. But whatever, it wasn't my business, as she'd made clear.
Maybe she'd stopped hiding with him.
"What?" I asked, already annoyed. I was supposed to be out with Bradley, but my parents had asked me to watch the kids while they ran out for food. So the world decided to throw shit my way.
"I need Jack," she said, her tone off. I frowned and looked at her closer. She was less put together than usual. She was shaking, and there was fear and panic on her face, and I knew only one person could put that look there.
"What happened? Is she okay?" I asked, moving toward her. I didn't know whether to shake her or beg. But I knew something had happened to her, just like I knew her smell and had memorized her smile.
"I—please, just give me Jack."
"Just fucking tell me," I yelled. I knew I shouldn't, but I was rattled. She had secrets, secrets she kept so locked up that I knew one day they'd kill her. And I wasn't stupid; I'd pieced together easily enough that her mother wasn't the picture-perfect woman Grace made her out to be.
But I didn't push. Not when I saw the frazzled, scared look in her eyes, or the bruises, the scars, the fucking nightmares. I didn't want to push. Maybe that was what separated me from Jay. Maybe he pushed.
"What's going on?" Bradley asked over my shoulder. Her eyes flicked to him before they came back to me. Neither of us answered him. I just waited. Fuck it, I thought. If she wouldn't tell me, I'd find out myself.
I saw my parents' car pull up, and they both wore worried looks when they got out. They made their way to us. "Hello, Maddie, is everything okay?"
"No," I said before she could.
"I've just come for Jack, please. I need to take Jack." My parents looked at each other, before my mom went inside, a hurry to her step.
"Fuck it," I shouted. I moved out of the house and went to my dad. "I need your keys," I said, my hand out.
"Gideon, stop and think," he said, reasonably, not handing them over.
"I am. I'm thinking something's happened to Grace, and once again I'm not there. I promised—she promised me, if—" I stopped, a sob catching in my throat. I turned my head and blinked the tears away, not wanting anyone to see.
"Son—"
"Something happened to Gracie?" Jack's little voice piped up. I looked toward the open door. Bradley had moved out of the way but was still by it, and I could see him shooting me concerned looks. Mom was standing in the doorway with Jack in front of her. But he was looking at Maddie.
And that look. It was heartbreaking.
It was no surprise to anyone that Grace was Jack's whole world, and right now it seemed to be crumbling underneath him. I wanted to go to him and hold him and let him know it would all be okay.
But would it?
Maddie went to him first and bent to his level. "Grace asked me to come and get you, bud," she said softly.
I couldn't see her face, but Jack reached out and touched her cheek, and I realized she must be crying. Something deep inside me wanted to break loose, to make some kind of noise, to be heard, to be at her side. It didn't matter that we weren't together. I'd promised.
"Is she okay?" he asked, a quiver to his voice.
"She will be when she sees you." She stood and held out her hand to him, which he took. "Thank you, I'll—"
"Please let us know she's okay when you know more," Dad said, cutting in when he realized she was struggling.
She nodded. "I will." They moved to her car. She strapped Jack in and closed the door, then paused before turning back and walking over to me. "She'll kill me if she knows I told you anything. But I don't think she'd mind me telling you she's okay. She's hurt, and... and in a bad way. But she's okay." She reached out then and took my hand, and gave it a squeeze.
"Please," I said. I didn't know what I was asking for. Please tell me when you know more. Please let me go with you. Please tell me what you know. She nodded, seeming to understand, then turned and went back to the car. I waited until it was out of sight before I let the scream that had been building in my throat out.
I felt arms wrap around me and knew it was my dad. "It's okay, Gideon, she'll be okay. She's strong."
"She promised me. She promised to let me go to her if anything happened. And—and—" I could feel myself hyperventilating. It was rare that I had a panic attack; I used to have them a lot as a kid, but not so much anymore. But I could feel my chest getting tighter, harder to breathe.
"Gideon, you need to breathe. Come on, son, one in, one out. Do it with me," my dad instructed. I tried to match what he was doing, and each breath came easier than the last, until eventually it was easy to breathe again.
I just hung limp in my dad's arms, my heart breaking all over again. But despite it all, I wanted to be with her. No matter what.
"She promised," I whispered.