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Maddox became more despondent as the days passed. Sailor felt sorry for her but kept more to herself. Her friendship with Beth was rekindled when the Langdon Academy announced its opening the following school year. Maddox sat alone in the cafeteria, glaring at Sailor and her group of new friends.
Maddox had no friends. Her friendship with Dora Cortez ended abruptly after Jack began spending more time at the trailer. She didn't need Dora anymore. Dora had served her purpose and didn't matter to Maddox's future. She swung her eyes from Sailor to Dora, who sat beside her new boyfriend, Miguel Hernandez.
Everyone she knew had a boyfriend. Sailor had Clyde; Dora had Miguel. Maddox had no one except Jack who abused her. He used her for sex and spent most of his time closed in with Enola. Suspicion grew in Maddox's mind about her mother's secret relationship with Jack.
Enola's stomach grew until she had trouble standing or sitting down. She walked awkwardly, her middle protruding and her hands wrapped around the swelling. Maddox grew apprehensive about her mother's changing body. She wasn't as young and naïve as she was a year ago. She guessed what the changes meant but didn't connect them with Jack.
"Sailor," Maddox yelled, following her friend from school. The last bell rang, and Sailor rushed to meet Clyde to walk home.
"What do you want?" Sailor stopped and spun on Maddox.
"I want to talk to you." Maddox ran up to her.
"Ok." Sailor clipped her words. "What is it?"
"I think my mom's pregnant." Maddox waited expectantly for Sailor to respond.
"Oh," Sailor recalled her father's comments at the dinner table. "What makes you think that?"
"She's like this." Maddox held her hands away from her stomach, curving them roundly
"Well, I guess people in love have the right to make babies." Sailor reflected for a moment. "What does your dad have to say about it?"
"I don't think he knows," Maddox answered. "They don't talk about it. They hardly talk at all."
Clyde appeared before Sailor could reply. He took Sailor's hand, and they walked away together. Maddox stood on the sidewalk, watching their departing backs. She wished she had that kind of relationship with Jack. She wanted more than just his probing penis. He never kissed her or held her close. Jack sucked at her breasts and between her legs like a dog slobbering over food. He handled his own penis and used her only to ejaculate. It was hardly romantic, with Enola hovering in the doorway.
Maddox wanted to walk with Jack, lean her head on his shoulder, and hold his hand. Sailor had her head on Clyde's shoulder. His arm was across her back. She smiled at him, and he grinned. They stopped and kissed. Maddox's head swam with jealousy. She wanted to break them apart. Instead, she walked away with slumped shoulders.
Life had changed drastically for Maddox. She wanted to cling to her childhood. Memories of playing Barbies with Sailor filled her mind. They had happy times together. It didn't matter if Sailor's family was rich and the Kelleys were poor. They were best friends forever. Why did she have to grow up? Why was her life so unhappy?
Once upon a time, Maddox looked forward to high school. It meant movie dates, football games, and hiding behind the bleachers with her boyfriend. She had once anticipated homecoming dances and the prom. Maddox suddenly felt old and used. No longer young and innocent, she lived her life in fear and the embarrassment of her mother watching her have sex with her boyfriend.
Jack was always and forever her boyfriend. She continued to love him despite the trauma he imposed upon her. It was all Enola. Her mother wanted the experience of watching their sexual escapades. Her mother was sick. Maddox determined to tell her that…to scream it in her face. Sick, sick, sick!
Maddox quickened her pace. She entered the trailer, slamming the door behind her. Enola sat on the screen porch with the brandy bottle between her knees. Jack sprawled on the lounge. They both looked at her with dull expressions.
"What are you doing?" Maddox exclaimed boldly. She was determined to confront them.
"Who are you to question me?" Enola snapped, turning bloodshot eyes toward her daughter.
"I want to know why you get pleasure in abusing me and Jack," Maddox continued, straightening her shoulders. "You stole my innocence. You're sick! SICK, SICK. SICK!"
Enola Kelley struggled to stand. Her face twisted, and her eyes bugged from their sockets. Raising her hand above her head, she struck Maddox with force. The blow across her cheek stung. Maddox struck her mother in return. It was an impulsive gesture. She hadn't realized she was going to do it.
Enola grabbed Maddox's hair and pulled. Maddox entwined her fingers in her mother's scalp. They circled, yelling obscenities. Jack leaped from the lounge and, wrapping his arms around Maddox's waist, threw her against the wall. She collided with a standing lamp. It crashed to the floor. His massive form hovered over her, then landed on her with all his force. His fists connected with her face. Maddox screamed.
Maddox finally crawled through the screen door. Little by little, she gained her feet and ran into the woods. She climbed into the tree fort and, pulling her knees up, sat against the wall. It took her a while to realize someone else was already there. Maddox's eyes met Arnold Gorey's heavily depressed expression.
"What are you doing here?" Maddox asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Arnold continued to look at her without speaking. His woebegone expression never changed. His medication left him in a trance-like state most of the time.
"I asked you why you're here?" Maddox repeated.
"Mine." Arnold's lips hardly moved.
"Not yours," Maddox snapped. "It doesn't belong to anyone. It's just here."
"Mine," Arnold stated again. His eyes brightened slightly. "My father built it."
"Oh." Maddox paused for thought. "When?"
"Better times." Arnold lapsed into silence. Maddox, too. "You're hurt," he finally spoke again. His fingers reached out and caressed her cheek. She flinched. "Who did that to you?"
Maddox hesitated. She didn't want to say it was Jack. Instead, she whispered, "My mom."
"Oh."
Maddox and Arnold fell silent. They sat in the fort side-by-side. The sun set behind the trees, and the moon rose. Neither moved. Arnold put his arm across her shoulder, and she leaned against him. Tears flooded Maddox's swollen eyes.
Sailor was surprised to find Maddox sitting with Arnold Gorey in the school cafeteria the following day. Her friend wore heavy makeup and dark glasses. Sailor bit her lip, contemplating approaching them, but joined Beth and Eric instead.
Several students enrolled in Ms. Langdon's private school gathered in the retired principal's living room during the previous night. They went over the curriculum and decided on their classes. Sailor would share many of those classes with Beth and Eric the following year. Their table buzzed with excitement.
Sailor couldn't help casting a glance toward Maddox. Her best friend would attend high school as a freshman. It was the first time they would go to school separately. She worried about her long-time companion, although they had drifted apart. Sailor didn't particularly like seeing Maddox with Arnold Gorey.
Tension surrounded the unstable boy. Arnold walked around school in a trance-like state. He neither did his homework nor responded in class. Eric and Frank insisted he was insane. They continued to tease him about dead celebrities and his bizarre behavior. Sailor was afraid something bad might happen before the school year ended. It worried her that Maddox was involved with him.
"I like the school but don't like wearing a uniform," Beth broke into Sailor's thoughts. "It takes away the fun of school clothes shopping."
Sailor didn't answer for a moment. Beth had to prod her lightly before she spoke.
"It's all right, I guess," Sailor answered. "We can pick different pastel-colored blouses to match the plaid skirts. I like the Peter Pan collars, too. And we can go clothes shopping anytime."
"Let's go to the mall together some Saturday," Beth suggested.
"Ok." Sailor brightened. She would love to go shopping with Beth. They could pick up their friendship as though it never ended. "We can meet the boys for pizza and maybe a movie."
Maddox listened to the conversation from her table. Her anger burned within her. She wanted to participate in clothes shopping, movies, and pizza. She suddenly hated her best friend and wanted to hurt her. She heaped blame on Sailor.
Sailor was slim and pretty, with long honey-blonde hair. She wore nice, clean clothes and carried a hand-tooled leather handbag. Sailor had friends and was invited to weekend parties and after-school get-togethers. Sailor was popular.
Maddox was nothing. She had no friends, no life. No one invited her to their houses or their pool parties. She was left out—left to face her mother's abuse alone. It was not her fault. She had tried to become a part of school life. Now, her one true friend had deserted her. Sailor had a new school to go to and new popular friends.
Maddox sat in the tree fort with Arnold Gorey after school. They shared the same faraway mood. They hardly spoke to each other, but their companionship held them together. Maddox never went home until after midnight. No one missed her at the trailer.
The school year ended, and summer began. Enola Kelley grew larger around the middle. She complained about the pain. The pains grew sharper, more severe. Maddox was not at home when Mikey called 911. She saw the flashing red lights from the tree fort, and without saying goodbye to Arnold, she scurried away.
Michael drove their old, beat-up station wagon to the hospital. Mikey sat beside him on the front seat while Maddox and Jack sat crowded in the back. Maddox gnawed on her lower lip. She didn't want to sit in the hospital with her father and Jack. There was something very wrong with the entire situation. She dreaded the next few hours.
The Kelley family sat silently in the ER waiting room. Michael and Jack sat side-by-side while the hours ticked away. A smiling nurse gave Mikey a coloring book and crayons. He stretched out on the floor and colored as though nothing was wrong. Maddox stood beside the large window, looking at the courtyard filled with empty, shadowy tables.
The nurse finally returned to escort them to Enola's hospital room. They gathered in the doorway, looking in. Enola glanced toward them, then reverted to staring at the wall. A bassinet sat beside the bed. Michael smiled broadly and approached his wife. His expression changed when he looked down upon the newborn. Instead of lifting the babe, he stepped back and turned away.
"It's a girl," Enola stated without expression. "Her name is Jessica."
Michael remained speechless. He hovered for a moment, then walked into the corridor. Maddox glanced down at her new sister. The baby had pudgy cheeks and narrow brown eyes. She didn't look like either Maddox or Mikey. She did not look like a Kelley, nor did she look like Enola. Maddox's face turned beet red. Her pulse throbbed in her temples. Jessica was the exact image of Jack Meadows.
Maddox spun on her heels and ran. She passed Michael in the corridor and raced through the hospital doors. Tears flew from her swollen eyes. Her feet pounded the tarmac. Cars whizzed past her, blaring their horns. Maddox stopped in the middle of the street. She didn't know how she got into the busy road. A speeding truck nearly hit her; the driver slung obscenities in her direction. She moved to the sidewalk and plopped homeward.
Enola and Jack. The truth, in the form of baby Jessica, struck her hard. It was Enola and Jack all along. Not Maddox and Jack. Maddox had no hope. Her mother had stolen her boyfriend.
Tension filled the Kelley trailer after Enola brought Jessica home. The truth hurt everyone. Michael moved like a zombie. His face became more worn, his eyes sunk further into their sockets. Jack made himself more at home and took Michael's place in the bedroom. Hate grew in Maddox's heart. She plotted revenge.
The only one unaffected was Mikey. He barely acknowledged the situation and never acknowledged his little sister. Mikey went to school, did homework, and tinkered in his father's repair shed. Nothing changed for Mikey.
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