Content warning: hangover, mention of underage drinking, illusion to dizziness
Author's note: this is gonna be a little slow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maddilynn winced as the static crackled through the phone, Hope's voice barely breaking through. She’d told her friend a hundred times to upgrade her service, but Hope insisted on sticking with her budget plan, leaving every conversation sounding like it was coming from an automated voice bot. At least the camera quality was decent.
“You’re breaking up,” Maddilynn said, cringing at how dry her voice sounded, like sandpaper against the speaker. “I’m poor, not deaf. No need to yell.”
Hope’s next words were clearer, a hint of amusement cutting through the crackling. “I moved downstairs,” she explained, her hand appearing on screen, holding up a modem like it was a trophy. “Meet my new friend, wifi.”
Maddilynn couldn’t help but laugh, despite herself. “Good to know we’re all making strides in life.”
After a few moments, the connection stabilized. Maddilynn shifted her phone, letting it rest against her knee, and the glare from the ceiling fan lit up her face just enough to block the usual cute glasses filter she always put on.
“Now, I can hear you,” she said, half-smiling, her tone quieter but still teasing.
“So, where did you go?” Hope asked again, her voice more stable now.
Maddilynn sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Some party Topper dragged me to.”
Hope snorted. “Topper. Does he have no friends of his own, or do you just get stuck as his plus one forever?”
Maddilynn paused, her mind drifting to the usual routine: Topper, her older brother, dragging her around to his parties, only to complain the entire time about having to babysit her. But to be fair, he did have a knack for finding the best parties, and she wasn’t one to complain.
“Nope,” Maddilynn deadpanned, her enthusiasm flat. “No complaints from me.”
Hope’s voice took on a teasing tone. “You sure? Because you sound like you partied real hard.”
Maddilynn sighed, letting her phone fall to her lap. “That’s because I did,” she said slowly. The alcohol, the bodies, the shots. Everything blurred together after that. She couldn’t remember much past the second round of tequila.
A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts.
Her mom stepped in, her ringed fingers resting against the painted wood, her tired eyes crinkled from the long hours of her weekend shift. Maddilynn immediately noticed the tightness around her lips, the way her nose turned up in that familiar, disapproving way.
“It’s Monday,” her mom said, like that explained everything.
Maddilynn shifted on her bed, eyeing the clock. “Is it?” she asked, her voice barely registering the question.
Her mom stood in the doorway, her gaze fixed on Maddilynn as if waiting for some explanation that never came.
Maddilynn dropped her head into her elbow, her hair spilling over her phone, blocking the camera. Hope held her breath on the other end, both of them waiting, frozen in silence. Not a single gust of wind stirred the air, and the stillness felt heavier than before.
“Okay,” her mom sighed, her tone carrying the weight of unspoken disappointment. The door clicked softly behind her, and the silence in the room lingered, thick and uncomfortable.
Finally, Maddilynn exhaled, realizing she’d been holding her breath for far too long. She adjusted her phone, focusing on Hope again.
“Sorry about that,” she muttered, her voice soft, more drained than apologetic.
“No worries,” Hope replied, the static all but gone now. “You good?”
Maddilynn leaned back, staring at the ceiling as her fingers traced the frayed edges of her blanket. “Yeah,” she said with a dry chuckle, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just... don’t think my mom’s thrilled I’m skipping school for a hangover.”
Hope didn’t respond immediately. Maddilynn could almost feel her friend's gaze through the screen, the weight of concern beneath her silence.
Finally, Hope’s voice was quieter, a bit more serious. “Does she know it’s a hangover?”
Maddilynn stared at the ceiling, her mind replaying the hazy fragments of last night, the music, the drinks, the fading memory. She tried to block out the thought of her mom finding out.
“I hope not,” she said slowly, her voice thick with uncertainty. “I don’t know. She’s a hound. Topper’s gotten caught before. I want to say she doesn’t know, but... I don’t know.”
Hope nodded, her expression softening, even through the bad connection. The quiet between them stretched out longer this time, neither of them rushing to fill it with words.
“So, what now?” Hope asked, her voice lighter but still carrying that underlying concern. “You going back to school, or just... gonna chill in your room all day?”
Maddilynn blinked, pulled out of her thoughts. “I don’t know,” she said, the frustration creeping into her voice. “Maybe I should go back. But why? It’s not like it’s gonna change anything.”
There was a long pause before Hope spoke again, her voice careful, measured. “Only your grade,” she said, a gentle but firm reminder. “But don’t get stuck in this, okay?”
Maddilynn glanced down at her phone, absently tracing the screen. For the first time that day, a flicker of something like hope sparked inside her or maybe just the desire for it. “I’ll try,” she said, the uncertainty still there, but it felt less oppressive than before.
“Good,” Hope said, her voice warming again, lighter. “Remember, it’s just Monday. You’ve got the whole week ahead. Do something with it.”
Maddilynn gave a small smile, even if it was just a ghost of one. “Right. The whole week.”
Hope chuckled softly. “Yeah. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something to actually care about before Friday.”
Maddilynn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Later, Mad,” Hope replied, her tone back to its usual teasing warmth.
As the call ended, Maddilynn sank back into her pillows, her mind swirling with the remnants of the weekend, her mom’s disappointment, and Hope’s simple, but somehow meaningful words. Maybe it was time to step off autopilot, at least for today.
The door creaked open again, and her mom’s voice cut through the quiet once more. “Maddilynn.”
She didn’t even need to look up to know the exhaustion in her mom’s voice. It wasn’t just about skipping school. It was something unspoken, something beneath the surface.
“Yeah?” Maddilynn asked, sitting up again.
Her mom hesitated for a moment. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t forget.”
Maddilynn nodded, already knowing the unspoken rule. “Okay,” she murmured, before her mom closed the door quietly behind her.
The room was quiet again, but this time, it wasn’t suffocating. It was just the quiet of the space between one day and the next. Her phone buzzed, breaking the stillness. Hope had sent a message.
Hope: Take some time, not too much ;)
Maddilynn stared at the words. The raw honesty hit her harder than she expected. Maybe Hope was right. Maybe it was time to let go of the chaos, take a step back, and carve her own way out of it.
She tucked her phone beside her, standing up and stretching her arms to the ceiling.
For now, it was Monday. Tomorrow could wait.