chapter twelve
“Tay, push me on the swing!” Avie pled.
“Okay, okay,” Taylor agreed reluctantly.
Mackenzie and Zac ran for a slide near the center of the park. The day was as calm and warm as the ominous one two days prior. There was not a cloud in the sky, but something still loomed over Maddie. It was a feeling really. One of dread that she just couldn’t shake.
“Maddie, could I talk to you?” Isaac asked as his siblings ran off in different directions. She nodded. Isaac rested his hand on her back and led her over to a picnic table. “Does your back still hurt?” he asked.
“Not as much,” she replied as they sat down.
He nodded. After staring off at a tree momentarily, he asked, “The dream was about me again, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “And this time, she dreamt that you were going to run me over too.”
Still staring at the tree, Isaac asked, “That wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” He looked at Maddie now; right into her brown eyes. “That you were hit, I mean.” He shook his head slightly and added, “Hit by a car.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maddie began.
“I’m sorry,” Isaac said quickly. “I read it, okay? But it was the only way I was going to get any answers. I know, Maddie. Everything.” He closed his eyes momentarily. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Maddie gritted her teeth. “Well, it’s not like we’re the best of friends or anything. You hate me.”
“No, I don’t,” Isaac corrected quickly. “I was angry and I needed something to be angry at. And being mad at you was easier than being mad at myself.”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, confused. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Yes, I am,” he insisted. “I was edgy that day, and when Jessie knocked over that bag of chips in the party store, I snapped at her. She didn’t want to make me mad, so she went outside to wait while we finished shopping. And then . . . There was the cat and whatever she slipped on and your truck . . . When I saw her there, I knew it was my fault. She should’ve been in that store with us. If I hadn’t snapped, she’d still be all right.” Isaac closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them he looked straight at Maddie. “I should have never snapped at you like I did. I just needed someone else to blame. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend that I was the reason my little sister was laying on the pavement. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Maddie whispered. Then, after a pause, she added, “But it was my fault. I hit her. That can’t be undone.”
Isaac pressed his lips together. “But you only hit her because you couldn’t see. And you couldn’t see because of Trevor -”
“How do you know about that?” she demanded.
“I told you I read it all,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“You had no right,” Maddie said angrily, shaking her head slightly.
“Would you rather I read it and not tell you?” Isaac demanded. “Look, what’s done is done. At least you finally got away from that guy, right?” Just then, a look of comprehension washed over his face. “My god,” he whispered. “He did that to you yesterday, didn’t he? After the phone call he came over and -”
“Yes, yes!” Maddie cried. “He came over, let himself in, and he threw me across the room a couple times, okay?” She looked down, ashamed. “Go on. Tell me what an idiot I am for staying with him for all that time. Say it.”
“Is that what you think?” Ike demanded. “It’s not your fault, Maddie. You didn’t ask for this. It was him. He lied. He hit you. It wasn’t your fault.”
Slowly, Maddie looked up until she met his eyes. It was not the reaction she had expected. She had figured that he - or anyone who found out - would think she was weak and stupid for not getting away from Trevor; think she deserved it for believing him. However, Isaac didn’t see it that way. “You’ll never hurt me,” she whispered.
Isaac reached his hand out and touched Maddie’s fingertips. “I’ll never hurt you,” he agreed. Slowly, he linked his fingers in hers. “Never again,” he whispered.
Maddie swallowed hard. “You love me.”
“What the hell is this?”
Maddie spun around. Standing not less than ten feet from her was a guy with brown hair and smoky blue eyes. “Trevor,” she whispered.