01 | mommy issues

Considering the circumstances in which she was brought up, Madison would like to think she was exceptionally normal. And to anyone who would point otherwise, she would, other than get upset or show a simple time-saving gesture with her middle finger, say that they had not met her mother.

Diana Dormier had many interests and being a mother wasn't one of them. As of a decade ago, her main one was trying, and succeeding, to be the epitome of every rich business woman. Galas and charity events were in fashion and going to brunches with some of the wealthiest families of NYC became a regular. Now with her glasses low on the bridge of her nose she was typing something on a laptop.

"What is it, mother?" Madison spoke up, arms crossed and foot tapping against the fallow and feldgrau Axminster rug.

She bore a lot of resemblance to Diana; they had the same square jaws, tan skin and dark wavy hair, yet personality wise they couldn't be further from one another. Which is why it was a bizarre thing, to see her mother without her cold demeanor, her back slightly hunched. She didn't like to see her that way, it meant she had a side to her that wasn't what she always showed her daughter amongst everybody else.

"I have some quite unsettling news, you might want to sit." The headmistress put off her glasses, rubbed her temples then finally spoke again: "We have a new arrival, if you could even call it that..."

Blake could be back, a little voice in the back of her head told her, it was unwelcome and sudden. Nonetheless it was true so her breath caught up in her throat, a lump quickly forming. Fuck.

"Skylar Darsy is back."

"What?" Madison croaked out after moments passed, giving her enough time to regain her composure. Her mother waited for her reaction, something to show she was distressed or hysterical but Madison lowered her eyes, looking at her beneath heavily coated lashes. "How? She can't be a late enrollment, the board would never allow-"

"The board was the one who put her in," the headmistress cut her off, her chin resting on clasped hands. "I wasn't told how or why just that she'd continue her senior year in Arlington."

"She was-" Madison took a deep breath, her voice was too high pitched. "She was a scholarship student, she couldn't have come to a quick fortune."

"She has connections to the board, surely beyond. I need you to inform your friends and keep them in line, we don't need another publicity stunt after what you pulled sophomore year."

"It wasn't a stunt." Madison said distantly, picking at her nail polish, arms still crossed as her thumb chipped at her others nails.

"You need to pull yourselves together, you are adults now, Madison."

Despite the seriousness of her mother's voice she wanted to laugh. Adults, the word resonated in her head, what fūcking adults?

"William is returning this year, too." With the first word out of her mother's mouth, she felt her stomach turn. "I need you to try and keep him in control, you know how he gets. Prevent as many of his shenanigans as possible, I might not be able to kick him out but-"

The rest of her mother's words came out a blur to her ears. She only heard the irritation raising in her mother, she had always hated Blake with a strange passion. It could've been because of his doings but it seemed deeper than that. She figured it was a matter of status, the fact that she couldn't do anything to him.

"Are you listening?"

"You should have this conversation with somebody else, I don't have as much influence over him as you think." Madison's voice came out hoarse. "You should... talk to Alex."

"The scholarship girl... what's her name, again? Anderson?" Madison only nodded as Diana picked her glasses back up. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't want any ruckus this year so do what I've told you."

It was beyond Madison how Blake managed to have her mother this worried about his arrival to the Academy. He was different, too smart for his age but he was still just a boy. A boy who without his money would have a long record, she thought. Having him back meant her mother took a big blow. To have accepted someone who beat up a professor back into the Academy was a statement. Surely it wasn't one many of the parents on the board agreed with.

Once out in the hallway, Madison texted the one person she was mad at the moment.

'Don't be surprised if you get called in'

There was no need to be passive-aggressive, but Madison simply wanted to be. If one of her best friends hadn't told her something as big as what was going to happen, she had a reason.

'???'

'She told me Blake was back

And for me to keep him in check

So I told her to talk to u'

Alexandra had left her on read and desperately Madison wanted her to say she didn't know for her own sake but if Alex found out from her and not him it would most likely break her. Taking their history together, she didn't consider it a probably he hadn't already informed her but the amount of time it took for her to reply made her uneasy.

'You knew, right?

Alex'