You're a fragile flower in its finale hour

 Chili embraced Maddie and she began to cry too. She hated to see Maddie so distraught. After all, she was such a shy thing.

"Do you even want to be here?" Chili wanted to know as she rested her hands on her shoulders. "Maybe you need to just, go home and rest."

Maddie said no, but her eyes were red and watery. She looked a bit sickly. 

"But Rafe's here." Chili reminded her.

Maddie took a deep breath and pressed her lips tight. "I can't let him win." Her face puffed as she frowned.

"Look, I know it's hard," Chili could see how hard it was to grow up. Sometimes, being with someone didn't mean huge disasters, but perhaps just misunderstandings.

"Are you afraid of him?" Chili had to ask as if she was ready to fight for Maddie.

"No." She stood up straight and looked so innocent with those pale eyes of hers.

Chili smiled. All this time she thought Maddie led a sheltered life, but it was true, she was shuffled around from one relative to the next. Perhaps, like something was left behind, but ever so often someone might have mishelved her. Sure, they cared about her but didn't want to know how she was really doing. After all, Maddie seldom expressed her feelings.

"I'm just sorry you are having to go through this," Chili told her there at the empty coffee shop. After all, Maddie dropped in to see of any changes in the schedule, but as soon as she saw no one was there to help Chili with the customers, Maddie went to work.

The door jangled then, and she went to get the customer's order.

Rafe was watching from the kitchen. He went to pile some more flour on the shelf of supplies and loaded up more syrup in its place. He sighed wondering if Chili would find him, but he kept working. Couldn't he just keep quiet and everything would turn out fine.

Although, Maddie gave him the cold shoulder at school. It was like she'd taken to the wind and flown off to a special place like in those Chinese dramas she watched. She was nowhere these days.

Yes, he'd had a falling out with Mercer when he found out she'd talked to him. It was like he was on her trail, but it turned cold. Why did she have to avoid him like this? This was not about Maddie. Couldn't she see this?

"Well, it's never been about her, now has it?" Chili hissed as if she might really be a demon at heart.

Rafe almost fell over when he heard her words. Suddenly, it was as if all this was taking a toll on his heart.

"What are you talking back," he snarled back.

"This, this with you and Maddie," she looked him straight in the eye as if she would be his judge and jailer. "I had such hopes for you. I really did. I thought you were getting better, but somehow, you'll always be a self-centered ass, won't you."

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. "You know, you think somebody might change when they go off to war, but that's not a sure bet, either."

She looked back through the window where people were being served. Maddie had her best face on. 

Rafe put down the flour and walked forward to see what was happening. Maddie was having a quaint conversation with some other schoolboy. Someone from art class.

"You better let her go." Chili hugged herself.

"But-" They hadn't even broken up. Still, he hated the idea of even talking to Maddie.

"You know what they say, LOVE isn't love until you give it away."

Rafe's frown was small, but when he looked at Chili now, he thought she was just a sorcerer in disguise.