Page 23 of Charm on the Rocks

Chapter 11

Madison's heartstopped at the sight of Claire's text message. It was too late to call her and ask what it meant, and if she did that, she knew her father would find out. It wouldn't surprise her if he started going through their phones the way he would go through their bedrooms.

"I need to get out of here," she murmured, shooting a regretful look to Alec.

Immediately, his dark blue eyes pooled with concern. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I don't know," she told him. "I mean, it's not an emergency and no one's hurt but... I might be screwed."

"Let me get you home," Alec insisted. He took her hand in his big one and began to lead her off the dance floor. She couldn't exactly say no, not when his hand was warm and comforting. She instantly felt relaxed under his touch and she allowed him to walk her over to the elevators.

"I can't ask you to do that," she told him, her voice quiet as he reached across her and pressed the downward pointing arrow. "I don't want to take you away from this."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Please," he said. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Madison felt her cheeks turn pink but she made no further argument as she stepped through the steel box and into the elevator. Alec followed suit. Once the doors slid shut and it was just the two of them, he turned his head so he could look at her.

"So what's going on?" he asked. He hadn't let go of her hand and, in fact, began trailing his thumb up and down the back of her hand, sending goosebumps across her flesh. "How can I help?"

Madison didn't know where to start so she decided it was best to start from the beginning. She told him about growing up in South Haven and how overprotective her father was, how her mother was more lenient but never questioned her husband's choice of parenting methods, how she and her sisters sometimes felt like prisoners, how it took everything in her to get her parents to come out to school here, and how she possibly ruined her sisters' chances of being allowed to leave home because of her decisions.

"And what decision was that?" Alec asked as they stepped out from the Ice Palace and into the misty grey October night. It had to be two, three o'clock in the morning. She could call Claire in a couple of hours thanks to the time difference between California and Michigan but she wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do.

To be honest, she had no idea what she should do.

"My father is conservative and I'm a Gulls' Girl," Madison told him as he proceeded to walk her to her nearby car. "And they saw me on television. Since this game was broadcasted nationally, my sister decided to watch in her room. She wants to come out here and live with me next year so she already loves all things Gulls' but she's never tell my father. Anyway, my father was doing a check of her room and he saw me when they cut back from a commercial."

"Okay," he said, "but your dad isn't here."

"Yeah," Madison said by the time he got to her car, "but he's paying for my college. Granted, three quarters of my dues are covered by my scholarship but I can't afford that other quarter on my own. It's why I got this job in the first place - because I wanted to be able to save up and have some spending money of my own. If he decided to cut funding completely, I wouldn't be able to stay here and finish school."

Alec clenched his jaw, causing it to pop. "Do you think it will come to that?" he asked.

Madison chewed her bottom lip. "It wouldn't surprise me," she said. "My dad is a control freak and wants me to follow his rules even though I'm an adult and am out of the house." Then, under her breath, she muttered, "Control freak."

Alec nodded. "Okay, let me see what I can do," he said.

Madison's eyes widened and she turned to look at Alec. "Oh, Alec, you don't have to get involved," she told him. "I was just venting."

"I know," he said with a quick nod of his head. "But if there's anything I can do to help you, I will." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, so quick she didn't have time to register it. "Now, drive home safely. If you don't mind, please text me when you're there so I know you're safe. You might want to text Amanda so she's always aware of what's going on. I'll call you tomorrow." He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Everything will be okay, Mads. We'll figure it out. Just stay by your phone tomorrow, okay?"

Madison nodded slowly. Alec opened her car door for her and she slid inside. He shut it as she buckled her seatbelt and with one final wave, started her car and took off. Traffic was nonexistent this early in the morning, and by the time she got to her dorm, she was ready to get whatever sleep she could. She sent off a text to Amanda and a text to Alec before collapsing on her bed and falling asleep.

--

She got the phone call the next morning exactly at eight o'clock. Her father was predictable, punctual, and just plain mean. First, he started by telling her what a disgrace to her family she was, how she had embarrassed everybody with her chosen profession, and how she looked particularly skanky in the halter top and tight pants. Madison had to bite her lip to keep from telling him that that was probably the least swanky outfit the Gulls' Girls wore, even though she didn't find any of the outfits particularly skanky. Skanky was a behavior, not a clothing choice.

Secondly, he critiqued her school work not being challenging enough if she had time to go off and be a Gulls' Girl instead of studying. At that point, he went into an entire speech about how UCI wasn't the best choice in the first place and how he should have listened to his gut instinct. He transitioned to making everything about him rather than her, about how he works hard for his money and he didn't have the means to go to college when he was her age, how she was the first person in the family to go to college on his side, and how she should appreciate the fact that she had the opportunity to go in the first place. Finally, he wrapped up with the fact that he was going to stop paying for her college if she chose to stay out there, which meant she would be homeless, without a means to attend school, and the only thing under her belt would be a job that twelve dollars on hour part time. There was no doubt in his mind that she would fail; might as well come home and face her mistakes in person.

Madison listened without interruption. Lectures from her father were nothing new and in the amount of time that she received them, she had learned how to decompartmentalize and respond with what he wanted to hear rather than what she really felt. When it was finally her turn to speak, she replied with, "You've given me a lot to think about, Dad. Give me a few days and I'll let you know my answer."

"Answer?" His gruff voice was tai yes with confusion. "You don't get to answer, Madison. This isn't a yes or no."

"Actually, Dad, it is," she told him. Her voice was firm but respectful. All her teenage angst had disappeared since starting college. "Either I come home and have you continue to pay for school while following your rules, or I stay here and try to make it without your help. Luke I said, I'll let you know in a few days."

Before he could answer, Madison hung up the phone. Her heartbeat was racing against her chest, her cheeks hot. She had never talked back to her father before. Even when she wanted to. Even when he was so wrong. She would fight with him constantly but she had never defied him, not like this, and the feeling was... exhilarating.

A couple of hours later, just after eleven in the morning, she received a phone call from an unknown number. Madison hesitated before answering.