As Girls on Film by Duran Duran started playing, Madison felt her worries fade away. She shook her shoulders to the beat, letting the music take over as Madison felt swept up in the moment. The guy from her class is there staring at them dancing. The same boy that walked away when Steve is kissing Nancy. She didn't want any more drama happening, so she approached the boy.

" What are you supposed to be?" She asked tilting her head slightly

He let out a slight chuckle. "Um, just someone who doesn't like parties?"

Madison nodded. "It's fine - they're not for everyone"

She gave him a slight smile. "Did I get your name yet?" She asked curiously

He smiled shyly " Um No. I'm Jonathan ... Maddie, right?"

"Yeah-" Her eyes light up a little

" What brings you here?" Madison asked still curious

" Well, my brother went trick or treating and I had nothing to do" Jonathan just shrugged. "So ... here I am"

" My sister is trick or treating too. maybe she's with him" Madison replied, the thought of Max making friends made her feel happy.

"Ghostbuster?" Madison asked

" How did you know?" Jonathan asked, curiously

" Well, I saw three of them on the streets earlier. Madison shivered at the thought- of Billy nearly running them over. His evil laughter and the kids just speeding up. "Guess your brother wasn't there." She said trying to lighten the mood

" Yeah, he had to leave early from school" Jonathan replied, now turning concerned.

" Doctors appointment?" She said with her brows furrowed

Madison started to feel uneasy as he fell silent, as Girls on Film continued to play. There was something suddenly so unsettling, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something could be bothering him

" Jonathan, what happened?" She asked concerned

The whole room started gasping and everyone stopped what they were doing. Nancy stood there frozen for a moment. She glanced down at the huge red stain spreading on her shirt. "What the hell,"

Madison felt even more concerned now, First Jonathan, then Nancy, and now Steve. She watched Nancy storm off to the bathroom, frustrated.

A few minutes later, Steve stormed out of the bathroom, Madison's attention was mostly on him. He looked like he was about to cry. His shoulder brushed against hers. "Steve?"

Madison stopped to talk to Jonathan. "She's in the bathroom."

She went and exited the house. "Maddie, what are you doing?" He called out

"What is going on with you two?" She questioned

Steve opened the door to his car, desperately wanting to leave. He couldn't bear it anymore "Like I said don't worry about it." Steve tried to sound casual

Madison felt frustrated, as she glared at Steve, her hands in her pockets. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! Nancy is drunk and alone at a party, drenched with that punch on her shirt."

Steve crossed his arms, trying not to break down. He is trying to keep his cool. "Just go back inside and continue partying." He forced a calm tone in his voice

Madison could sense something was up " Are you ok?"

" Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine" Steve's voice quivered.

It fell silent- all of sudden. Billy abandoned her all night, and Madison wanted to leave, it seems like Steve wanted to as well. She started to speak up. "Let's get out of here"

——————————-

In the bathroom, Nancy called him bullshit more than he counts, which is why Steve left the place with a broken heart.

"People say stupid things when they are drunk. I'm sure she'll forget about it in the morning."

She doesn't love me." His heart aching at the realization

She could hear sniffles, a sound she wasn't expecting to hear. It was a reminder that some relationships don't last. Even if they seemed ok. But in reality, they're not. The thought made her stomach drop. She hated seeing him this way, completely broken. Madison appreciated his help on the first day and accepted her offer to take her home. She felt really bad and wished she could have done something to fix it.

"How about this?" She started, catching his attention. " Tomorrow when the time is right, just talk to her." She glanced at Steve, trying to at least help.

He stopped the car at Old Cherry Lane. Madison went and hugged him. She could feel his body tense up. It was surprising, the way he immediately melted into her embrace, as he desperately wanted this. It was just a simple gesture of support, but in that moment, it turned into something deeper.

Madison could feel the weight that he's been carrying, of all the pain he's been holding back. She tightened her grip, just wanting him to feel safe, to let it all out.

It was hard to see him break down like this, considering they only met yesterday, but at the moment she only cared about him. "It's not your fault" she whispered, trying to reassure him

Steve's voice started to quiver, the weight feeling heavier than ever. His body trembled as the guilt overwhelmed him. The tears he had fought so hard to contain now spilled out. With every sob, he seemed to sink deeper into the belief that he was the blame for everything. "Yes, it is... it's all my fault"

His grip tightened around her, the weight of the evening, Nancy's harsh words, and the punch. Everything was crashing down on him and he felt like he was drowning in his own mistakes.

Madison has been kind to him, but they only knew each other for like two days. She doesn't know him, she doesn't know that he was nothing but a douchebag last year. He tried to stay strong, to be the guy who had everything- a big house, and a perfect girlfriend but tonight he couldn't take it anymore and it hurt to admit it. "I messed it all up" his voice slightly cracked, as the shame took over. "With Nancy ... with everything..."

His mind races through all the moments where he can redo everything and make better choices. But he didn't and he greatly regretted it. "I don't know how to fix it," Steve continued. " I don't even know if I can"

His body was trembling, and it broke her heart. "Look, I don't know what Nancy's going through." She started, her eyes searching for at least a sign of reassurance. And I hope ... I hope... she overcomes whatever she's going through." But no one deserves this, not even you. "

Madison wasn't the greatest at comforting people, at least she didn't think so. But seeing Steve breaking down like this, seeing how much pain he's in, she couldn't just sit there and let him do it alone. "You're not bullshit, Steve. I'm sorry for my choice of words but it's true. You're not."

Steve pulled away slightly, wiping the tears with his sleeves. The weight in his chest felt a little lighter, because of her. He wasn't expecting anyone to be there for him, to remind him that he was nothing but a screw-up. Especially not her, who was caught in the middle of the chaos.

" Thank you" he muttered, his voice still shaky.

Madison felt some sort of empathy as she looked at him, in a way she hadn't seen him before. She wasn't expecting to comfort him tonight. "Anytime," she said softly.

There is a brief silence between them, a much more comfortable silence. Madison wanted him to know that even though they didn't know each other that well. She would be there if he needed her. She hesitated for a moment; he was going through too much right now and she wished she could do more. "Yeah, I should get going" she finally said

She exited the car and walked to her house. It wasn't that far anyway, it was just a few blocks away from the sidewalk that Steve parked on. Her mom opened the door. "Where were you and where's Max?"

Madison entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. She filled it up with water. "Trick or treating," she mumbled.

Neil's stern gaze is focused on her, his arms crossed tightly to his chest. "And where is Billy"

Madison forced a smile on her face, hoping he couldn't see right through her. She could feel her heartbeat get faster. "He is dropping off a friend from school,"

His gaze hardened as he stepped closer to Madison. " "Then who dropped you off"

She started to feel fear build up in her " A friend"

Susan felt genuinely happy that her daughter was making friends. "You're already making friends, that's great,"

He shot a disapproving glance at Susan. " Don't encourage her"

His gaze narrowed as he stepped closer to her. "The next time you go somewhere you stay with your brother "

" He's not my brother" she mumbled, hoping he couldn't hear her.

Neil raised his eyebrow. " What was that"

Madison didn't want to repeat herself " Nothing"

" Go to your room..."

She walked to her room, slammed the door closed, and just layed in her bed exhausted. She could hear the front door open indicating that Max just arrived... and Neil was probably going to ask the same question. She is scared when Billy gets home, knowing the awful things he's going to do to him. She heard a knock on her door. "Can I come in? I can't eat all the Halloween candy by myself."

Max stood there, shaking the bag with a small smile. The Mayfields shared a KitKat " Mmmm where did you get this?"

Max leaned against her bed. " Loch Nora, that's where the rich people live. "How was the party?"

Madison leaned against her pillows as she thought about what just happened, with Billy being the center of attention and Steve leaving the place with a broken heart. "Crazy...." She shook her head

Max nodded and then tilted her head. " Wait... if Billy's not here... who dropped you off"

Madison felt a knot form in her stomach, but it wasn't from the candy, it was from nerves. "Um, a friend" she repeated trying to sound casual.

Max had a smirk form on her face as she leaned in"Boy or girl"

Madison just shrugged trying to play it cool. "Does it matter?"

" Come on, I'm curious"Max pressed on

Madison felt a sense of relief wash over her. " A boy..."

Max leaned in, curiously " What's his name"

" Steve..."

Max continued to nod; her smile was growing. " Is he nice" she teased

" Yeah, pretty nice. helped me out on the first day of school..."Madison started to smile

" That's good ... just making sure you're not hanging out with the wrong people"

Madison leaned back on her bed; she shifted her focus back to Max. " Now enough about me.What about you?"

Max eyes lit up as she leaned forward " Oh it was hilarious"

" Really?" She repeated suddenly intrigued

" I scared them ... and one of them screamed like a little girl" Oh My God Maddie, you should have seen the look on their faces."

Just then, the Mayfield sisters burst into laughter. Max always found a way to make her feel better.

A/N: It was a pain to write Steve angst, but I wanted to write hurt comfort but with the roles reversed. And Mayfield sister dynamic-yayyyyy!