Chapter 1

Maddie

I am in love with my brother's girlfriend. Well before you judge me, let me explain my situation to you. My name is Madelyn but my family and friends call me Maddie for short. I was named after my grand aunt who passed away the day I was born. My mother believes her aunt Madelyn sacrificed her life for me to be born because she was already overdue, she was forty three weeks pregnant at the time. She had already lost faith that I could be born healthy. The doctors thought so too cause it's really hazardous to not have given birth before week forty three. On May fifth that morning my mom claimed to have received a call that her favorite aunt had passed away in her sleep at the age of fifty. Did I mention that I have two other great aunts and from what my mom told me grand aunt Madelyn was the sweetest of them all, that's why she and mom were so close. I have only met my other grand aunts twice, on Thanksgiving when I was seven years and on a family reunion. They had the worst tempers, and looked grumpy all the time.

Anyways back to the story, my mother didn't take the news too well. She howled so loudly that she scared off the birds that used to hang out on our yard. That's what daddy said. He can be such an exaggerator sometimes. My mother said it felt like she was being stabbed in the heart with a dagger. She suddenly started feeling an excruciating pain on her abdomen followed by a gush of fluid in her panties that cascaded down her thighs. She instantly looked down to see the floor wet. She gave birth to me later that day, I came out as a healthy baby. I was an introverted child while growing up, I rarely talked to anyone even my family. This made it difficult for me to make friends at school. I was just different, my big brother thought I was a weirdo. Everyone thought so too except Claudia.

She moved next door to our house when we were in kindergarten. We hit it off immediately, we had countless sleepovers over the years. We shared everything with one another, she was the sister I never had. A lot of people even mistaken us to be sisters because we were inseparable. As we reached puberty Claudia became beautiful as ever, she developed hips and an hour glass body. One would surely mistake her for a super model. This made a lot of guys hit on her. When we started high school, my brother was already a senior and managed to get the guys to leave her alone. He shielded her and me from all the bad guys. He was the captain of the soccer time so he was feared by many and every girl wished to be his girlfriend. He has brought over a different girl to our house every weekend. I never knew who his girlfriend was anymore.

'Hey do you have a minute?' I asked. 'Yeah what's up. I am running late for my soccer practice.' 'Thank you for what you did earlier, for standing up for us against those guys who were harassing Clau and I.' 'It's cool little sis. If they ever lay their hands on you, even if they touch one strand of hair on your head or your friend's then tell me.' 'Yeah.' I said between smiles. This is the side of my brother I never knew, I didn't know he was this protective. His protectiveness was somewhat shocking to me, he just called me little sis. Something that has never happened before. Maybe he was just been nice, I thought. My thoughts were disturbed by Claudia tapping my shoulder. 'Hey, what are you doing all alone in the hallway. I just ran into Ken.'

Well that's my brother's name, he was named after Ken from the barbie movie. My mother was a barbie fan while growing up. My father said she intended on calling me Barbara, Barbie's full name but thanks to my great aunt's death she decided to call me Madelyn to honor her. 'I didn't know your brother was this sweet, I don't think we could have survived our first day here if it wasn't for him.' 'He never ceases to amaze me, what are you doing this afternoon?' 'Ken invited me to come watch his soccer game after school, I told him we will be there.' I was shocked, my best friend who despised soccer agreed to go watch a soccer game live. 'I know what you are thinking, why did she agree to watch a soccer game even though she despices it so much. I feel indebted to your brother for what he has done today and I feel like it's the right thing to give him support.' 'Yeah, I totally get it.' She was right, we have to be there for him the same way he was there for us earlier. The game wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be, I enjoyed myself. After the soccer game Ken gave us a lift home. Claudia went to her house and we went to ours. It was as if we didn't come together. He went to his room and I went to mine without even saying a word to one another.

It became our everyday routine, everyday Ken gave us a lift home. Him and Claudia grew closer than ever. At first Clau and I used to sit together at the back seat but that changed within a few weeks. She started occupying the front seat. At first I didn't think anything of it but soon their closeness became suspicious. Every time she came over to our house she always asked about Ken, what was he doing? who he was hanging out with? Does he have a girlfriend? All that kind of stuff..'Wait a minute, why are you interested in knowing all these, like his love life. Is there something I should know?' I asked. She instantly looked away and I knew something was going on with her, her keen interest about his love life was worrying me. 'Of course not, there is nothing to say really. I am just curious. I feel like I deserve to know, as his friend at least.' 'Then why don't you ask him? You know that Ken and I rarely talk to each other, the conversation I find myself engaging in with him is when we are together in his car on our way here. But all I can tell you is Ken is a player. I am not trying to besmirch him or anything but he has brought a different girl home every single weekend.' 'I am so sorry.' 'Wait what! Why is she apologizing?' I asked myself.

Claudia

I really felt bad for Maddie, I could see how much it's hurting her for not being close to his brother, the only sibling she has. I know she considers me as her sister but I know she wishes to have the same bond my little brother Henry and I have. It pains me even more how well she always hides it. Oh a little introduction about who I am. My name is Claudia, I have one sibling, my brother Henry who is six years younger than me. Despite our age difference we were pretty close while growing up. I have known Maddie my whole life. It's hard to imagine my life without her. The very first day we met at kindergarten when she offered me her chair when I was a newcomer, I knew we were going to be the best of friends despite being different in every way. She is more of an introvert and only talkative to those she is close to. I am glad I got to see that side of her, a talkative and fun Maddie. I am more outgoing and more of a social butterfly. I am the first born to Grace and Henry Dickinson. Both my parents are cardiologists, they met in medical school and two years later they had me. Daddy took up a part time job as a pizza delivery man to fend for us. They both managed to graduate and are now working in the same hospital. Going back to the current situation at hand, I don't know how to tell my best friend why all of a sudden I am interested in knowing her brother's love life. Ken and I have become close in the past few weeks. We hang out a lot after school while still waiting for Maddie to finish her piano lessons and for the last two weekends he took me to watch him play. This is something I haven't even told Maddie because I really don't know how she will react. She always said her brother was a player but after getting to know him I think otherwise. Maybe that is why I am interested in knowing his love life to prove Maddie wrong that Ken isn't who she tho

ught he was.