The tension between Maddie’s parents pulls tighter every day. It feels like there isn’t enough air to breathe when she’s in the room with the two of them.
It’s a relief when she walks through the school doors and can drop her cheerful mask.
She can make her way to the library and sit there quietly waiting for the first bell to ring. She doesn’t have to worry about anyone, especially not Noah. It’s good to know that her brother is safe at Greenhills. She doesn’t have to look out for him, protect him from the bullies who are drawn to him like a magnet.
That doesn’t stop her missing him, though, even the way he organises her life, the timetables he works out for her, which she tries so hard to stick to for his sake. ‘Get the studying in first, Mads, that’s important. The rest you have to prioritise.’
Maddie wishes she could make him do the same. Prioritise, Noah. Stop letting the demands of precision and regulation and the correct order of things control you, leaving you drained, incapable of moving until every task on your list has been perfectly executed.
Greenhills is good for Noah, she knows that, despite all the drama that’s taken him away. But still. Maddie hates seeing his room empty, hates him not being there, waiting for her to knock.