Seven

Madelyn wasn't sure she should have told Chloe about her sister. But then again, Maddie was very rarely sure about anything. It was just her character.

Uncharacteristically, she was sure that Lena would have been furious to hear her name dragged around the school, a point for common gossip. Lena tended to fly under the radar unless she wanted to be noticed. And when she wanted to be noticed, by God, everybody noticed her. Lena was sort of like that.

And Maddie was pretty sure that her parents hadn't wanted news of Lena's defection to get out. But come on--it was Chloe. Even Madelyn knew Chloe, and Maddie didn't know any of Lena's friends. Lena didn't bring her friends home.



Maddie was not like her older sister, not self-assured and certain, not introverted and controlled. She played tennis instead of mind games and answered letters from French pen pals instead of phone calls from best friends and brave admirers.

Sam Newman was the captain of the tennis team and officially the first one brave enough to offer a comment on the scandal to Maddie. They were playing doubles, just a scrimmage. Sam served her perfect serve, the one that got 'em every time. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that thing with your sister," she said, eyes focused on the players across from her--they'd missed the serve.

Sam served it again and waled it into their knees. Newman was a pretty damn good player, and these other two, imported from two towns over, were freshman. And, sure, Maddie was a freshman herself, but she wasn't quite that incompetent.

"It's okay," Maddie mumbled back--and missed the hit. Her face turned red. Elena would never blush at a mistake; that was the fate for only hapless Madelyn, gawky and stupid and careless next to her sister.

(Lena had been gone for three days, now. Everyone was trying to go back to their normal lives because, the police said, technically Lena had left a note--"I'll be back.--L"--and was eighteen, so they couldn't do too much of anything.

And Maddie felt really terribly guilty for thinking it, but she wasn't blind to the fact that, in some ways--in the ways of comparisons--her life would get much, much easier if Lena just stayed away. It was a fleeting thought, but it was there, and it had killed Maddie that she had ever even considered it, no matter how briefly.)

"Still," Sam grunted as she fired off another serve. "I hope she comes back soon."

Maddie watched the freshmen scramble with vindictive pleasure. Victory was sweet. "Me, too."