When Kyle sees her, he lets out a nervous laugh and looks around them, in the empty hall. The lights all around them are soft and glowing lightly, casting dewy lines of gold across the ground and limning across Kyle's face. Madison moves immediately towards the table, where she picks out a bottle.

"Madison?" Kyle says. He rubs the back of his neck, in the same way that Nick sometimes does when he's nervous, but instead of making butterflies flare up in her stomach, Madison simply finds Kyle repugnant. "What is all this?"

Madison forms a swift smile, though it feels physically painful.

"I'm glad you came, Kyle," she tells him, as she pours out the drinks. "I was worried you might not."

"Is this, like, one of those intervention things that you hold for Lula's boyfriends?" Kyle says, and chuckles lowly. "Audrey told me about those. Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about with me."

Madison turns around to face Kyle, smiling sweetly as she offers him his drink.

"That's good to know," she tells him, her voice warm. "But this isn't an intervention, Kyle."

Kyle's gaze drops to the drink that she is offering him and when he takes it, he makes certain to brush his fingers across hers. His eyes linger, like Nick, but Madison feels sick, instead of heated all over.

"Oh," Kyle says, his voice growing deeper. He chuckles again. "See, I knew all that hate against me had to be a front." He leans in, his eyes dark. "In the end, you just wanted me."

She feels sick.

"How's your head?" Madison asks, pulling away quickly.

Looking slightly annoyed, Kyle takes a long drink.

"It's fine. Doctors said I took a pretty big hit," he tells her. "My Dad was pissed. You think he'd be more concerned about me, not the bat, right?"

"Oh, poor you."

"Yeah."

Madison eyes Kyle carefully, watching the way his movements grow slightly languid and slower. The pills must be taking effect, she thinks with some satisfaction. She puts her own untouched glass down on the table, slamming it down with unnecessary force, and clears her throat, shaking back her hair.

"Alright, then, enough chitchat. I need a confession from you, unfortunately," Madison says bluntly. "What did you do to Audrey?"

His forehead creases and Kyle blinks.

"What?"

"Answer quickly, now, Kyle. I haven't the patience for your stupidity today."

"I didn't – Audrey?" Kyle stares at her. "What are you talking about?"

"What did you do to Audrey?" Madison grounds out.

When she sees the faint flicker of realisation in Kyle's eyes, she knows she has him.

"Look," Kyle says, and his words start to slur a little, "we got into a fight. So I might have pushed her away, a bit. Why is it any of your business?"

"It becomes my business when you decided to hit her," Madison says, her voice dripping with scorn. "Why'd you do it, Kyle? Did you feel like a man? Did it make you feel strong?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Kyle says loudly. "She just – she's so annoying, sometimes, and she just won't shut up –,"

Madison breathes hotly, "You bastard."

Kyle is shaking his head, before his gaze drops to his drink.

"What did you... did you – what'd you give me, you bitch?" he demands, and he lurches towards her, reaching for her.

She doesn't move fast enough, and Kyle has a tight, painful grip over her arm, making Madison let out a hiss of pain.

"You're the one trying to hurt me and I'm the bitch," she bites out, angrily. "Let me tell you this, right now, you sad, pathetic excuse for a man. I was willing to give you money, to do the right thing. To tell Audrey that you were going backpacking or whatever, anything to get you out of Redwood, far away. But you decided to put your hands on me, too."

"I'll kill you," Kyle says furiously, his eyes blazing. "You bitch –,"

Abject fear clenches her heart, but Madison refuses to let it show, holding her head high. She still struggles to get her arm out of his violent grip.

"Shut up," she snaps towards him angrily. "In a few moments, you'll barely be able to move. I suggest you listen closely, now. I know what you did to her, you bastard. You emotionally manipulated her. You brought her away from us, from me. You made her stop believing in herself and you made her fall so in love with you that she continued to convince herself that you wouldn't hurt her anymore. You made her so afraid of herself. But I am not Audrey. I see you for what you are. And I'm going to make you pay for what you did to her."

"Shut –,"

"When you wake up, you won't be in Redwood. You won't ever set foot anywhere near the vicinity of the city, let alone the town. The only thing you'll be seeing, for the longest time, are the four walls of your prison cell." Madison glares darkly. "Get your disgusting hands off me."

Angry, Kyle reaches to claw for her, his fingers already clenching into a fist, and for a moment, Madison forgets to breathe in the face of her crippling fear. Her heart pounds and her throat closes up, as Kyle aims for her face, a threatening growl rippling out of his throat. She's frozen to the spot in fear, cold all over.

But then, Kyle lurches clumsily and he collapses on the ground.

Madison lets out a breath of relief, hearing the hard beat of her heart, as she stumbles away from Kyle's unconscious body, her heels clattering across the ground. Kyle lies still, as Madison fights to compose herself, feeling the sudden urge to burst into tears. She's breathing raggedly and hoarsely, still fraught with fear, her fingers shaking in distress.

Slowly and terribly, Madison leans heavily against the table and swallows her dry sobs.

*

When she turns up to the dance lessons, Madison has managed to compose herself excellently.

She's rather impressed with herself, for having quickly taken care of Kyle, fixed her hair, spritzed perfume across her wrists, and fixed her school uniform, in record time. Even Louie – she still cannot believe that she has to grow careful of her own driver now – had not grown suspicious. Madison changes out of her school uniform within the changing rooms, pressing down her shaking fingers against her lace violet dress. She forces herself to take a breath, to calm herself and her madly beating heart down.

Kyle is gone.

Kyle is gone.

He can't hurt Audrey anymore. He won't touch Audrey.

He won't touch her.

Madison doesn't know why she's overreacting like this. Audrey's been through worse, she tells herself, but she still feels sick, when she thinks of the way that Kyle had lunged for her like a madman. She had felt so terrified, in that moment, had barely been able to breathe, that she hadn't even moved out of the way.

She still feels the urge to cry.

Madison swallows tightly and stands, practicing her light and cool expression. She's got to make Nick think that nothing is wrong, after all. She can't let him know that she's been dreaming of his heated kisses, burning against her skin, or his fingers roaming all over her. She lets out a tight breath and steps out into the dance hall, where Bastien and Nick wait.

"You took your time," Nick says automatically, when she appears.

Though his voice is a little thin, Madison is grateful for the barb, as it presents a thin thread of normality. Good, she thinks eagerly. They can go back easily to insulting each other.

Madison bites back, "Perfection takes time, Nick. I don't imagine you can relate."

The air between them crackles thickly, broken only by Bastien clearing his throat. The dance teacher eyes them carefully, his forehead creasing.

"Has ...something changed with the two of you?" he asks bluntly. "Something's different."

"What?" Nick blurts out heavily. "What – different? Us? No! We're not different! We're the same as ever! We hate each other – why – why would you say something's changed?"

God, Madison thinks scornfully, what an idiot.

She shoots him a disdainful look. Now, she has to show him how it's done.

Madison aims a perfect smile at Bastien and shakes her head a little.

"Different, Bastien?" Madison repeats innocently. "I'm so happy someone noticed my new nails."

Bastien frowns. "You got them done last week."

Damn it.

Nick is cracking up.

But Bastien eyes them so carefully and so suspiciously that Madison and Nick fall silent. She feels rather unsettled, swallowing thickly, before Bastien shakes his head at them and claps his hands together.

"It doesn't matter," he says. "What does matter is that we get the lift done today. Now, Madison, you have to trust in Nick to lift you. I need you to relax."

When she doesn't protest, as she usually does, both Bastien and Nick throw her confused looks, though the latter is looking worried, too. Madison takes a deep breath, for there's something awful and painful tugging at her, threatening to swallow her whole, before she nods her head towards Bastien. The dance teacher seems pleased that she's actually listening to him for once, instead of arguing against him with every step he makes.

Nick reaches out for her and Madison swallows.

His touch is like fire on her skin, his fingers wrapping around her waist securely in that way that she had woken up to. Madison had never felt so relaxed and content than she did, in that moment, in the morning. She had wanted to live in it, forever.

They glide across the floor easily, Nick leading her effortlessly.

He's extra careful with his touch, almost fumbling clumsily at times, to Bastien's discontent, but Madison does not say a word. She's too busy trying to grab a hold of herself, her heart pounding loudly against her chest. Her gaze falls to his lips and Madison's mouth goes dry.

"There we go, that's fantastic," Bastien is saying, and both she and Nick flush with pleasure. "Now, Nick, easy – lift her up."

Nick stares at her and Madison nods towards him.

She finds herself relaxing in his arms even as Nick's fingers press against her waist, as he lifts her up into the air, just the same as he had done the day before. Her fingers clutch at his shoulders to steady herself and Nick's hand brushes painfully across her arm. Madison can't keep back the slight flinch or the wince that she makes.

Nick frowns at her, as he slowly puts her down.

"Did I hurt you?" he murmurs to her, his gaze examining.

"No," Madison says quickly, but Nick has already seen the bruises against her arm.

He's so surprised he almost drops her.

Bastien hurries towards them, his brows knotted together as he lets out an alarmed cry.

"Are you alright?" the dance teacher is asking, as Madison nods quickly. "The two of you were doing so well – alright, let's just take a break, for now. Have something to eat."

She doesn't miss the way Bastien throws a meaningful look her way. Madison tugs herself from Nick's arms as quickly as she can, adjusting the sleeves of her dress. Her cheeks are flushed a warm red and she peeks, unable to resist, through her lashes at Nick.

He is simmering, his forehead creased in thought. There is something still set at the corner of his mouth and when he turns to her, Nick's eyes are blazing.

"Who touched you?" he demands angrily, his voice deep and almost growling.

Madison is startled at his bout of anger, having not expected it. She doesn't speak for a few moments, gathering herself quickly, before shaking her head at him.

"Nobody, Nick. I'm fine," Madison snaps at him, in a voice reminiscent of her angered, sharp self.

"You didn't have those when we woke up," Nick says, and God, she's never seen him so angry. His fists are clenching together, and he has to take deep breaths before he speaks. "So it wasn't me." Nick breathes hotly. "Who hurt you, Madison?"

The way that he towers over her is beginning to scare her, his body tense. Nevertheless, Madison holds herself taut as she steps away from Nick, tossing her head at him.

"Nick, I told you –,"

"Was it Kyle?"

He blurts it out and stares at her, effectively cutting Madison silent. The very mention of Kyle brings to mind the way that her fear had completely overridden her senses and Madison sees the way her face crumples, in the mirrored walls. Nick looks at her carefully, before he comes to his own conclusion and nods to himself, beginning to roll up his sleeves.

"I'll kill him," Nick is muttering hotly, his voice a threatening growl of badly suppressed anger. "I swear to God, I'll kill him –,"

"What? No." Madison blinks, startled. She moves forward, without thinking, and grabs at Nick's arm to stop him. She is scornful when she speaks. "Stop being an idiot. I took care of Kyle."

Nick's expression changes, as he realises what she means, and he reaches for her, his fingers tracing over the bruises on her arm lightly.

"I told you he was dangerous," he tells her, and his jaw clenches every time he looks down at her arm. "I told you –,"

"I still took care of him," Madison argues back.

"You got hurt," Nick says fiercely.

"He won't be able to do it again."

"He'd better not," Nick mutters, his gaze falling worriedly to her arm. "Does it still hurt?"

Madison wonders whether to lie.

"A little," she tells him honestly. She eyes him, and her voice is wondering. "Would you really have gone after Kyle?"

There's no hesitation when Nick nods, but his cheeks flush a little.

"Not – not because of you. Obviously. I just hate Kyle," Nick says heavily, and it's such an obvious lie that she wants to laugh.

Instead, Madison rolls her eyes and she reaches up, on the tips of her toes, to kiss him. Nick is automatically reaching for her, enveloping her whole with his arms as he wraps her into his body, almost lifting her up. He deepens the kiss as Madison moans into his mouth hotly, flush with pleasure and desire. They pull away at the same instant and for a moment, they stare at each other.

Madison begins to laugh, her gaze falling down.

Nick's trousers look uncomfortably tight and Madison's laughter grows louder. He rolls his eyes.

"You didn't laugh when you told me how much of a good kisser I am," he points out, and Madison's breath hitches.

She reaches forward to rub away at the lipstick staining his mouth, her fingers light against his lips.

"So much for getting it out of our system," Madison mutters, and Nick chuckles lowly.

He lifts his head and stares at her, still wrapped in his arms.

"We don't have to tell anybody," Nick offers.

Madison thinks it over for herself, before nodding.

"No," she murmurs. "We don't."

The secret feels hot and beautiful within them, and she seals the deal with a kiss.

"You know," Nick says, pulling away briefly, "your mother was right."

Madison chokes. "What?"

"Our height difference really does work for us."

*