Fifteen minutes later, we were sitting at the table with his parents. It was my first time meeting them, and his father barely gave me a once over before going back to his tablet. His mother sent me a tentative smile before avoiding eye contact. She munched on her toast while an awkward silence fell upon us.
“We didn’t know you had someone over, Maddox.”
His father’s voice was deep and uninviting. There was a harsh coldness to it. Mr. Coulter gave me an unappreciative glance, and I frowned. Did he…?
Holy shit, he thought I was Maddox’s fuck buddy or last night’s conquest.
And he probably though Maddox brought me to the table just for the sake of causing a ruckus. Well, that explained one thing. Maddox got his assholish ways from his father.
I cleared my throat. “My apologies, we haven’t met before. I’m Maddox’s friend.”
“Friend?” His father gave me a dismissive flick of his hand.
“Brad,” his wife warned in a low voice. The tension in the air was palpable, so thick someone could choke on it. My throat went dry, and I tried to swallow several times.
“What’s your name?” Mrs. Coulter seemed to be more… approachable. The lack of judgement in her eyes had me relaxing, a tad bit.
“Lila. Lila Garcia.”
She gave me a half-smile. “You can call me Savannah. How did you and my son meet?”
I took a small bite of my toast. I had been hungry before, although I was not anymore. My stomach twisted with knots, and I knew I couldn’t have more than a few bites. “Maddox and I met in Berkshire Academy.”
His father’s head snapped up, and he speared me with a look. “Berkshire, you said? I don’t recognize your last name. Who are your parents?”
He thought I was one of them… the wealthy and the corrupted. After all, Berkshire Academy was a tank full of those.
I took a slow sip of my water, trying to soothe my parched throat. “I live with my grandparents.”
I jerked my chin high and returned his look with one of my own. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was.
“Lawyers?”
Was this a goddamn interrogation?
I shook my head, pursing my lips in displeasure. “No, they own a grocery store.”
“That’s nice,” Mrs. Coulter jumped in before her husband could utter another hateful word. He was staring at me as if I was a pest. As I stared at Brad, I could see the resemblance. Maddox was a carbon copy of his father. The same hair, same eyes, same angry look on their faces.
“So, have you gotten any college acceptances yet?” Savannah tried to break through the tension, looking back and forth between Maddox and me.
I nodded, chewing on the bite I just took before answering. “Yes, to Princeton, but I am hoping for Harvard.”
Maddox’s father let out a huff. “Harvard? It’s not easy to get in.”
My shoulders straightened, and I gave him a tight smile, trying to look polite. If Brad saw the irritated look on my face, he ignored it. “Oh, I know, but I’ve been working for this for years now,” I told him. He didn’t scare me, not with his judgmental stares or his cold smile.
Maddox finally spoke. “Lila is one of the top five students at Berkshire.”
There was a hint of pride in his voice, and my cheeks heated. I quickly took another bite of my toast before swallowing it down with the tea I had in front of me.
Brad tsked, looking only slightly impressed. He regarded me with a curious look as if he was finally seeing me in a different light. He gave me a sharp nod before his gaze focused on Maddox. “Well, that’s good to hear. Maybe you can teach my wayward son how to be responsible.”
I wasn’t touching Maddox, but I felt it as if it was my own – his muscles tightening, his body rigid as a bow – he was ready to sprint away or lunge at his father’s throat. There was fire in his eyes and ice in his veins. My hand slid over to him, and I placed my hand on his thigh, holding him down, even though I was no match to his strength. His muscles rippled beneath my touch, and his own hand landed on mine. His breath expelled in a jerky rush.
I got you.
I leveled Brad with a cold stare of my own. This was a battlefield. Maddox and I on one side, his parents on the other. Our words didn’t cause any physical wounds, but our looks and the words spoken were sharper than any knife.
I’d go to war for Maddox.
And this was war.
“Maddox is working really hard,” I started, my eyes flickering from his father to his mother. “He passed this semester with high marks.”
Brad looked incredulous. “Oh, did he?”
I held onto my temper and gave them a smile. “Yes. You should be proud of him since he did it all on his own.”
Savannah perked up. She was obviously trying to break the ice, but this situation was already too frosty. “That’s good to hear! Maddox, why didn’t you tell us?”
He tensed, his fork clanking against the plate. “I did.”
Her smile dissolved. “Oh.”
I realized one thing in that moment. Savannah wasn’t ignoring Maddox’s existence, although it appeared like that on the outside. But now that I really looked at her, I realized she was scared of her son. Maddox intimidated her, and knowing him, he made himself less approachable around his parents.
Maybe I was wrong. Savannah was trying, but it was too little… too late.
“We’re done here,” Maddox announced. He stood up, roughly pushing his chair back and dragging me with him.
“Maddox,” Brad called out after his son, his voice threatening and so… cold. “You will show respect.”
Maddox wasn’t listening. We were already marching away. He didn’t stop, even after we were the through the gates of his house. We walked for an hour, side by side. There was an unspoken understanding between us as we walked in silence until we reached Berkshire.
Today was Saturday, so the building was closed. I snuck a glance up at Maddox. He was breathing hard, his lips curled back, and his eyes dark.
He held so much anger inside him, so much disappointment. I could feel it, deep in my bones. Maddox felt betrayed, hurt and deceived. He held more pain than he showed to the world.
I gave his hand a squeeze. “You have to train your mind to be stronger than your emotions or else you’ll lose yourself every time,” I said softly.
His eyes locked with me, and the intensity of his gaze caused my stomach to flip. “Why are you here?” There was a sudden harshness in his voice that had me flinching.
My lips parted, confused. “What?”
“Here,” he gritted out. “With me. Why? Why didn’t you walk away?”
“Because you’re my friend,” I simply replied. Because I care.
Maddox released a shuddering breath as if he needed that confirmation. So young and so angry. If only I could make him smile again.
A sudden spark of an idea had me silently gasping. Of course, I could make him smile. I knew exactly how.
I let go of his hand and pointed at the building next to Berkshire Academy, opened every day, even the weekends. The library.
“I dare you,” I started.
“For fuck’s sake.”
“I dare you to go in there, no clothes except your boxers.”
He paused, watching me with his mouth agape. “Are you serious?”