Boarding School AU (Finley)

Guest

"C-can I have m-my book back now?"

Letting out a sigh of impatience, Maddie grabbed his arm. She dragged him to the corner of the room where a single couch sat - moved carefully from one of the rooms and was for the VIP of the party - and pushed him down onto it, not all too gently. The only people allowed to sit in the few beanbags that surrounded the chair were whoever the VIP chose (with the exception of Madison, as it was, after all, her party). Already Maddie could feel people starting to glance in that direction, hoping to hear their names being called, as she leaned over.

"Listen here, you ungrateful brat," she hissed, tone full of spite, but smile on her face bright and happy, as though she was sharing a wonderful laugh with Finley. "This party here was called in your name. As far as these people are concerned, you are the special guest; they are here for you. You should be grateful and honoured that I have decided it to be so, because very few people get this privilege of being my VIP."

Taking a breath, she paused to let that sink in, glancing around to make sure nobody else was within hearing range before continuing. "You are going to call people over to join you, and you are going to talk to them and you are going to have fun - I don't care if you actually do, but you better well make sure they think you are." She straightened up and sent him a wide grin that was almost as if they were discussing something amusing. "You will get your precious book at the end of the night, or, if you do spectacularly terrible, when you redeem yourself. And if I hear you mention the damned thing one more time, I will burn it." Tilting her head to the side, she smiled innocently. "Do we have an understanding, Finley?"

Tuning on the spot, she waited just long enough to hear his reply before heading back to the refreshments table and helping herself to a slice of pizza. Now that she, too, had taken food, it was free for all, and there was a rush of feet towards it. Starting to make her rounds to interact with all the guests, she kept one eye on Finley.

Guest

Being dragged across the room was uncomfortable at best, but as he was pushed in to the chair quite forcibly, Finley realised he was probably in a little bit of trouble. Which became more apparent the moment that Madison began to talk. He wasn't ungrateful, he just wanted his book back, but he remained silent, looking at his hands instead of the girl beside him.

"I... I am g-grateful." Finley whispered when she'd done. Why people would want to be the centre of attention was completely beyond Finley, but he knew better than to question everyone else, because he wasn't anyone of interest.

But the notion that he had to invite people over to talk to him made the boy worry, a lot. He had such anxiety when talking to people he knew already that he couldn't do that. His heart was already beginning to beat faster at the prospect, his breathing getting shallower.

"Do we have an understanding, Finley?"

Oh how he wanted to say no, tell her that if she didn't give him his book back now he was going to go to a teacher and get them to close this party down. But Finley Allen was much too much of a coward to even move from where he sat, let alone tell on people. So instead, he did what he was told, and agreed. "I un-understand." Finley replied softly, watching her move away.

Now, calling people to him... How was he going to do that when he knew no-one's name? Sitting back in his chair, Finley just continued looking at his hands, trying to calm himself down, and hopefully, hopefully not throw up.

However, it seemed Finley was in luck as someone came towards him. "May I join you, Finley?" The blonde girl asked, and Finley just about managed to nod his head. She sat down on the beanbag beside him and Finley gave her a small smile. Nervous, but a smile. He didn't do conversation, conversation was difficult, but at least someone was sitting with him now.

"My name is Laura, by the way."

"H-hi Laura." Finley replied, looking up slightly at the girl before looking back at his hands. Pretty, she was pretty. And yes, just on cue, his heart beat sky rocketed at that thought. Brilliant, Finley thought to himself, trying to think of something to say but stumbling really badly through everything. Silence ensued, but Finley really didn't mind.

Guest

"I... I am g-grateful."

"Yes, yes you are," she muttered to herself as she left him, a smirk on her features. By the end of the night, he was most definitely going to be grateful, if everything went according to plan. And nobody ever dared to do other than exactly what she told them.

Fluttering from person to person, to make sure they were having fun and enjoying themselves, she kept watch on Finley, frowning when he didn't do as asked. Right, she thought firmly to herself, hugging one of the males in attendance and giving him a peck on the cheek. I have a few options, but which to use? Plans were interrupted as a female bumped into her.

Turning sharply, a retort on the tip of her tongue, Maddie stopped as she saw one of the people she actually liked standing there. Laura, who was a year older, had, in a very small way, become something like a sister to her, the both of them coming up with the pranks together. They were as close as Maddie allowed anyone other than her sister to be, which meant a lot of trust of the part of Madison. "Ohmigosh, I'm so glad you invited me," the other girl squealed, but paused upon seeing the look on Maddie's face. "What's up?"

"Finley," she replied with a grin, and Laura smirked.

"Any plans?"

"Yes, but he's not co-operating," Maddie said, shrugging a little. "So I will up the game... Go over and say hi, would you?"

"You're letting me..-"

Interrupting her friend with a nod, Madison winked. "You always wanted at him."

After receiving a hug, she watched Laura run off and smiled to herself. It was going to be an interesting night. [i]Lets see how interesting I can make it,[i] she thought, moving over to one of the other girls and giving her a nudge. "Finley requested that you join him," she said curtly, motioning towards the boy, and the girl let out a gasp and hurried over.

Moving to an older boy, Maddie repeated it, then paused, considering a fourth person. But already the poor boy looked so overwhelmed that she decided against it. She didn't want him to break, not yet at least. Walking back to the place, she took a seat directly opposite Finley, not saying anything, just watching, and giving him a look to remind him that he had to play along and talk to them.

Guest

Finley had just about managed to get over the difficulty of one person being in his space and trying to engage in conversation, but then another girl joined them, and then a boy he didn't know. This was not okay, not okay in the slightest. Each of them greeted him, and Finley managed a soft, barely audible hello and then he went back to his silence.

But then Madison was back, and Finley could see she didn't look okay.

Conversation Finley, come on! He chastised himself.

"H-how are y-you guys?" Finley managed, not yet able to look people in the eyes, but he looked in their general direction. It was something, and each of them piped up with their own answers under the general consensus that they were okay. Well, that was good, he guessed.

There conversation. He didn't like it, he wasn't comfortable, but he'd initiated conversation. His eyes moved timidly to Madison, looking for help, or an inclination on what she wanted him to do now. He didn't have a clue what to do in these situations, and it was so very, very clear.

Guest

"H-how are y-you guys?"

She couldn't help it - she rolled her eyes. He was the VIP, she had told those other two - Sarah and Dylan, if she remembered correctly - that he had called them over, and the best he could manage was 'how are you'? Listening to their answers, she could hear the confusion in their tones, although they tried their best to hide it.

When he looked over at her - dared to look at her directly, as though he expected her to say something - she quirked an eyebrow. Did he really think she was going to help him? The thought made her giggle to herself and it turned to laughter that Laura joined in, having seen everything. "Okay, you two, leave. Obviously you're making him uncomfortable," she finally said, moments later.

Sarah and Dylan - if that was indeed their names - hurried off, looks of horror on their faces. They had just apparently upset the VIP, and that usually meant never getting invited again. "Hannah!" Maddie called, and a girl came running. "Those two, sort them out. They need calming down, it wasn't their fault. They don't talk. Go, do things." she instructed and watched the other girl nod and run off.

Turning back to Finley, she let out a sigh. "The nerves, have to go. Like, for real. I am not kidding," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. It was her new mission now, converting the boy. While playing and breaking him had been something she had thought of for a while, now that the game was actually starting, she realized that in there no challenge lay. It would be like taking candy from a sleeping log, and that was never fun; she would much rather convince someone to buy her a candy shop. And as such, curing Finley rather than breaking him was a challenge, and that was where all the fun was.

"Laura, everybody out. VIP is tired, party is done. Give them refunds, and promises of other invites." She spoke clearly and calmly, and waited as the girl did just that. Nobody dared complain, or make noises; they just obeyed, and Maddie loved that power that she held.

Once everyone was left, Laura, too, left. Looking Finley straight in the eyes, Madison leaned back in the beanbag. "Why are you so nervous around people, Finley? And before you ask, yes, I expect a proper answer. We have all night if you don't wish to speak."

Guest

It seemed looking to Madison for help had been the wrong thing to do as a moment later the two that had only just joined were sent away. Finley looked, well, quite horrified how people were generally picked up and shoved away by Madison so freely. But he didn't call her out on it, he knew enough not to get involved in these things, so he just waited for her to turn her attention back towards him instead.

But more instructions flew around, telling someone else to do things and then making him feel like he had done everything wrong. He had done what she'd asked, and quite honestly he was terrified about the wellbeing of his book now. Please don't hurt my book... Finley thought to himself, he would never forgive himself if something happened to his book...

"The nerves, have to go. Like, for real. I am not kidding,"

"I c-can't help it. I c-can't switch them o-off." Finley explained, still not overly confident in what he was saying. He'd tried to get rid of them, his parents had put him in confidence classes, but it just hadn't worked from him.

But a moment later, the room had been emptied and it was only himself and Madison left in the room. Swallowing slightly at being alone with the girl, Finley's eyes grew as she asked him why he was so nervous. Such a sensitive question, such a cornering question. Finley simply shook his head.

"I h-have to g-go." He tried, getting to his feet. He didn't want to talk about it, that was personal. "P-please can I have my book, I t-talked to p-people. I want to g-go now." Finley continued. Did she understand personal boundaries? Probably not, and Finley was most certainly not in the mood for sharing today.

Guest

"I c-can't help it. I c-can't switch them o-off."

"Of course you can," she said bluntly, rolling her eyes again. "You just don't know how to." She has seen it before, in previous school, when she had Melody had picked out their victims. The same could be said for the brash and the bold - give them enough time, and they learn to be shy. 'Projects', the girls had called them, and what Maddie wouldn't give for Melody to be here. She had always been the one to come up with ideas when Madison was stuck, and she was always the more empathetic of the pair - or, at least, better at pretending to be. Madison was usually took the blunt and direct approach. That was how they worked, taking turns to have at, at their target, until a breaking point was reached and or soft spot was found.

"I h-have to g-go. P-please can I have my book, I t-talked to p-people. I want to g-go now."

Not making any effort to move, Maddie simply started at him, not blinking, even as he started to stand. Bingo, she mused, hiding a smile. Weak spot found. This was a start, him actually trying to argue with her. She was quite sure he would have not attempted to get up had he not been very serious about not sharing. In the back of her mind, the question 'why' still lingered, but as of that moment, the only thing when was wondering was what had happened? What could have possibly been so bad that Finley did not even want to speak about it?

Obviously it goes beyond the typical bullying. Frowning slightly, both to make him think it was his action and because she just could not figure it out, she tried thinking of possible answers, coming up with nothing. "You call that talking?" she asked, tone not harsh, but not friendly either; it was neutral, as though she had no emotions. "I bet you didn't say more than ten words to someone other than me."

A light sigh later and she also stood up, looking him in the eyes with a little tilt of her head. "Oh Finley," she started, but then realized that the feelings of pity that she had been hiding had worked their way into her words and she mentally kicked herself. Hard. "If you can give me three reasons - good reasons - why I should give you your book back, I will," she continued, a slight hardness in her tone to make up for her previous slip.

Guest

"Of course you can," she said bluntly, rolling her eyes again. "You just don't know how to."

Finley didn't like the notion of not knowing something, and he especially didn't like being told that he could stop his stutter, his nerves, if he just tried harder to find the solution. Because really he wanted to stop it, but he had tried everything and being around Madison Bishop was most certainly not the way to go about finding the solution because no one made him more nervous in the school than her.

And it was obvious why when she spoke again.

Madison Bishop liked to put you down even when you'd excelled very, very far in something you were not at all good at. Finley had created conversation, with strangers, and she threw that away as if it were nothing. Finley's eyes had fallen away from her in that moment, feeling stupid. "I t-tried." He mumbled to himself, because he was trying to tell himself he'd done well, but Madison had completed ruined that for him.

"Oh Finley,"

The boy flinched at the almost tender tone, he didn't like that at all...

But the confrontation of giving her three good reasons why he wanted his book back pushed Finley over the edge. Too much for one day, he simply nodded and hurried off towards the door. He couldn't and wouldn't deal with this. He could write to his parents and ask them to send him a new copy. But Finley was most certainly not going to stay and play games with the younger girl because she found it fun.

Guest

"I t-tried."

Ignoring that completely, she resisted an eye-roll. Maddie could very well see that he was trying, but in her mind, it simply wasn't enough. If he wanted his precious book back, he would have to work very, very much harder. Or, at least, she would have to, in order to find his ultimate breaking point, something that would definitely 'cure' him.

When he dared to actually leave, she let him, instead standing there until the door closed before breaking into soft giggles. This was going to be so fun - already she had made the timid mouse stand up to her, and that in itself was amazing. Moving back to her dorm, she quickly turned on her laptop and waited for her sister to join her on Skype - they chatted far into the morning, with Melody advising Maddie and vice versa; they both had their own projects to work on in their respective boarding schools.

The next day was a school day, and before classes began, Maddie took out Finley's book and, with a glittery pink pen, wrote very neatly on the page just after the front cover.

Dearest Finley,

I did so thoroughly enjoy this morning. I'm sure you did too, in your own way. I'll be seeing you around, honey.

Love,
Maddie xx

Underneath it, she pressed her lips to the page, leaving behind her lipgloss stain, and waited for it to dry before closing the cover. Placing it in a paper bag, she left for her morning classes, stopping a random person on the way and making sure she understood that it was to go directly to a boy named Finley and nobody else.

After that, Madison followed the advice given by her twin and avoided the older boy for about 7 days, until the weekend rolled by. Saturday morning, Maddie was wide awake and ready. Quickly changing, she smiled to herself in the mirror. Today was going to be very interesting.

What she loved the most about weekends is that the students were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, and it was precisely for this reason that she had waited for Saturday to arrive before going off to find Finley. It wasn't too hard, and sure enough, she located him in the back portion of the library, reading on one of the couches. Grin widening, she walked over to the boy, making sure her jacket was not zipped up in the middle, so that the denim only covered her arms.

Sliding herself onto one of the armrests, she said softly, "Did you get your present?"

Guest

Finley was more than relieved that Madison didn't try to stop him. It meant he could get away, calm down and not have to worry about anything more to do with the girl. He could write to his parents tomorrow and tell him that he'd lost his book, and if they didn't mind could they please send him a new one.

Or so he thought.

But the next morning, someone had bumped in to him and passed him a package before he could send the letter, and inside had been his book, seemingly still fine. The young boy wasn't stupid though, so after nervously saying thank you to the person who'd given it to him, Finley had opened the book and flicked over a few pages. Or rather, one. Seeing writing inside his books made Finley vastly uncomfortable, but the words written in the book made him feel worse.

Well, nervous, not worse.

Pet names were not something he was used to, so Finley thought... did she think they were... Oh no...

Finley had hidden the book after that, pretending it didn't exist because Merlin he couldn't deal with that! And for the most part, it worked, Finley stayed away from Madison as much as he could, and it seemed she was staying away from him too. Everything was working amazingly. Saturday came round in a flurry of homework and books, and Finley had taken to the library, not worried about the fact most people were out having fun on their 'day off'.

Work was fun to Finley.

Completely engrossed in his book, Finley didn't notice anyone moving around him. Everyone left him alone, and he was perfectly happy with that arrangement. So when someone came over and plopped themselves down on the arm rest beside him and spoke, Finley jumped quite badly.

But that was normal.

"Did you get your present?"

"Y-yes, t-thank you." Finley replied, managing to look up from his book only slightly before trying to engross himself back in the book. She hadn't asked for anything more, so Finley didn't make conversation. Honestly he didn't know why Madison was so interested in him, he was just Finley.

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