Maddie had shown up earlier in the day to help Michael and Chris with the moving in process. She, along with Julie, Riley, and Jeff, ha stood gawking at the new house.
“Holy hell, I have to meet this boss of hers!” Julie had said. “I mean, Christ Almighty he’s just throwing money at her. He better be treating her right, too.”
“We are not going to do the BFF Circle of Intimidation.” Maddie had said.
“We most certainly are. Don’t you remember? We take care of our own.” she had said with a smile before they got to work.
Most of the work they actually did was the cleaning and unpacking process. Chris had apologized for Mandy not being present, citing that she’d got called in to work late and was staying overnight at a hotel in order to get some sleep, but would meet up with them in the evening.
By the time people were getting hungry enough for dinner, it was approaching sunset, but not quite there yet. They were all discussing where to go, but Maddie had opted out, stating that she was tired and would just catch a nap on the couch while they went out and ate, and just to bring her something back. They argued amongst themselves on getting Maddie to come along, but she had already laid down and was half asleep, so they let her sleep.
She wasn’t sure how long she had been out, but when she woke up, Mandy was in the house.
“Sleepyhead.” she said with a smile. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“No, no. I’m good. Everyone out still?”
“Yeah. Chris called to check in with me, and I told him they were fine to stay out – that I was fine, and you were fine.”
“Okay.” she sat up and stretched.
“Want anything from the kitchen?” Mandy asked.
“Sure. Just a drink though.”
“I’ll see what’s in there. We should have something from the apartment that’s in there at least.”
Maddie waited while Mandy rifled around in the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a wine glass full iced tea, and handed it over.
“Who’s being fancy now?” Maddie teased.
“I couldn’t find anything else.” Mandy said apologetically.
“Catch up and reminisce?” Maddie asked.
“Sure.”
~~half an hour later minutes later~~
Maddie laughed, crystal stemware in hand, though it contained iced tea rather than wine.
“Mr. Lancaster always lamented we never had enough people to warrant putting on plays or whatever.” Mandy said with a smile.
“True. But he was never one to not tell us how we were his his favorite students.”
“I don’t know about that.” Mandy said with a laugh. “Though he did often remind us that he’d been trained at Julliard.”
“And that he’d sold some screenplays.”
“Though he never said for what!”
“True enough on that.” Maddie said, taking a sip of her drink. “Admittedly though, he was brilliant.”
Mandy nodded in agreement. “He had to have been, or SVPA wouldn’t have hired him. Their criteria for teachers, last I heard, was insane.”
“Yea, it’s really strict, and they want you to have been educated by good schools. Believe me, enough parents have looked into it, mine included.”
“They ever look into Mr. Lancaster?”
“Oh hell yes. They want me to go from Little Miss Precious to grow up and become Miss Perfect. Doesn’t matter what I want.” she said, muttering that last part as she took a drink.
“So just what were his credentials?”
“Julliard trained in music and drama. After graduating Julliard he spent some time at USC studying film. I guess writing might have been a hobby, I don’t know.”
“If he was so talented, why’d he become a teacher?”
Maddie shrugged. “Who knows? L.A. is harsh, and teaching a private school is steady work.”
Mandy nodded, then thought for a moment. “I wonder if he’s got any of the stuff he had us do for him?”
“Oh, the videos? Probably. I can’t see him not having them, with how much he gushed over how well we did.”
“Music videos on a budget.” Mandy said with a grin.
“Yea, but our budget was better than most.”
“True enough. Still, Michael did wonders, don’t you think?”
“Michael is fabulous and could probably really make it as someone’s personal stylist or even a visual effects makeup artist, if he really wanted to branch out.”
Mandy nodded in agreement, still smiling, however this time it was strained by pangs of guilt at knowing what Michael’s current lot in life entailed. “Of course, the six of us were fairly talented.” she continued.
Maddie snorted. “At what? Not all of us have natural talent.”
“That’s hardly true and you know it.”
“Oh?” Maddie said, raising en eyebrow. “Do tell.” she lifted her hand, which was holding her phone, and showed the screen to Mandy briefly. “I could really use a pick-me-up.”
Mandy walked over and hugged her friend, who had been brushing away a tear. “What’d they say this time?”
“Oh…just more of the same, but somehow, it just seems harsher. She cleared her throat before she spoke, affecting a thick Mexican accent like her parents used. “Don’t get any silly little notions just because we let you go on a little excursion. When you come home we still have to decide if you’re going to Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Brown.” she took a swig of the tea before speaking again. “I don’t know that I’ve ever really gotten into it, but Mandy…they’ve had my life planned out for me since before I was born!”
“You’ll be eighteen in September…can’t you just do what you want then?”
“I suppose…but they’ll cut me off, cut me out of the will, and try to cut me out of my trust, too. I mean…I’m not greedy or anything, but money is damn helpful.”
“Is there any way you can get out of it so you can be the person you want to be?”
“Short of them dying, miraculously changing their minds, or a tricky legal deal, I doubt it.”
“It’s more than just the money though, isn’t it?”
Maddie sighed and nodded, setting the glass down finally. “I am not as well-adjusted as I appear. Remember when I went to ‘boarding school’ for a semester?”
“Yeah. Your parents told us you’d gone off to learn business and languages in Europe, I think.”
Maddie shook her head. “Don’t tell anyone else. I’m telling you because I trust you – because I know you’ve had hard time too, what with your mom and all. I never went to a boarding school – I was in a mental health facility on lock down.”
“Why?” Mandy asked, surprised by this revelation.
Maddie looked down, struggling with what to say next, before deciding to just not mince words. “I tried to kill myself. The pressure was just too much….my parents had me in advanced classes, plus all the extracurriculars, plus the pressure to do community service and anything else that would look good on a college application.”
“How did your parents handle it?”
“They paid money to prevent the hospital staff from telling anyone I was there. They paid people off to make sure I still did my schoolwork and did it right. Anytime they visited…” she stopped, clenching her fists so tightly for a moment that her nails left divots. “Whenever they visited they would tell me how ashamed of me they were. They told me that a mixed heritage girl needed to work hard to not be stepped on. Dad kep lamenting on how hard his father had it back in Mexico before he made money, and my mother is just…just…”
“A tiger mom?”
“Oh my gods, yes!” she declared. “I cannot tell you how many times those conversations got difficult to understand until they switched to Spanish or Chinese, they were so awful.”
“Holy hell…I had no idea. I’m so sorry…” Mandy said, hugging her friend again.
Maddie leaned against her, trying not to cry. “It’s not your fault.” she muttered. “Time spent with you guys was my reprieve.”
“Sweetie, you need help like nobody’s business. Did you stay in therapy?”
“Oh hell no. Then someone might find out.”
“You’re way overdue for something to go your way. I’m gonna try to help, if I can.”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet, so let’s look at that amazing talent you don’t think you have.” Mandy said, pulling away from Maddie, a little hungrier than before, having used blood to make herself seem more human during the long embrace.
“So what talent is that again?” Maddie said, reaching for a tissue.
“You’re an amazing musician and martial artist, for starters.”
“My parents don’t see it that way.”
“To hell with them! Like they’ve ever given you enough time to prove it! So, you;re highly skilled in a couple of martial arts, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, which ones?”
“Wing Chun, primarily.”
“I have no idea what that means, but cool.” she said with a bit of a laugh.
Maddie smiled. “Bruce Lee brought Wing Chun into the spotlight back in the sixties. Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are practitioners as well.”
“Fancy pants. How’d you get your parents to let you practice that?”
“I didn’t. It’s family tradition on mom’s side.”
“Oh. Well…what about instruments? What can you play?”
“Cello.”
“That’s what your parents wanted. But I know you taught yourself some stuff, didn’t you?”
“Not instruments, no.”
“Then what kept you buys as extracurriculars?”
“Wing Chun, Cello, Ballet, and any other little fad or function mom or dad wanted me to try.”
“Ah. So I know you did more with music. I just can’t remember.” Mandy said, frowning.
“I had to be sneaky about it because of my parents.” she admitted. “But I learned to use those digital audio workstations, like Fruity Loops.”
“Digital Audio….like DJ stuff?”
Maddie nodded. “That stuff I would bring in, and said I had ‘found’? It was stuff I had made.”
“Oh my god, Maddie. That was some good stuff.”
She smiled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, doofus.”
“You really think I can escape my parents?”
“I do. It’ll take time, but…hopefully not much.”
“Hey Mandy?”
“Yeah Mads?”
“Can I do something?”
“Okay?” Mandy said, a little confused.
Maddie got up from her seat, moving over toward where Mandy had moved to. She set her hands on Mandy’s hips, and leaned in to give the somewhat shorter girl a sweet, tender, much longed for (on her part) kiss.
“Mads?” Mandy asked, somewhat confused.
Maddie brushed away the hair that had fallen into her face when she’d leaned in to kiss. “Sorry…I know you’re technically in a relationship with your boss and all, but I had to know what it was like – just once.”
“Why…How…how long have you been wanting to do that?”
“Middle school at least.” she said, giving Mandy a shy look before biting her lip a moment before sitting back down. “Say something?” she pleaded.
“Honey, I’m not mad. I just never knew.”
“Nobody did. I’m good at keeping secrets.” she said with a slight smile.
“I’m flattered Maddie, I really am.”
“There’s a but, isn’t there?”
“I don’t know. I just…I mean…I’m confused now, is all.”
“Did you at least like it?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay to be confused.”
“Yea, I know.
“We’re gonna be ok, right?”
“Mads! Of course we are! This doesn’t change anything. Not negatively, at least.”
“Good.” she said with a smile. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you as a friend.”
“Well, I’m sorry I haven’t been updating.”
“It’s ok…at least I know you’re safe.” she said with a smile. “So where were we, before we went off track?”
“Mr. Lancaster.”
“Right. You know, we should go out as a group sometime. Or maybe just do it here, at your new place.”
“Do what?”
“Karaoke.”
“Oh god.”
“You know you want to!”
“I love to sing. It’s listening to other people I’m worried about.” Mandy said with a laugh.
Maddie laughed too. “You know you want to. For old time’s sake?”
“Sure. But if we want alcohol, I’ll have to see if Chris’ll buy it for us.”
“Great! Sounds way better than trying to find a karaoke bar that will let underage kids in!”
“Okay okay, it’s planned.” Mandy said, and glanced at her phone. “Everyone else should be back from dinner soon. Want me to make sure they remembered your food?”
“Nah. If they forget I’ll just glare a lot and then pout.”
Mandy laughed. “There’s the Maddie I know and love.”
Maddie smiled and picked up her iced tea, finishing off the glass before the others arrived back with dinner.