Saving Maddie Read Online Free

service,” he said. “Greg warned me that she’d probably be more interested in making a scene than recommitting herself to her faith.”
    I pushed around a few grains of rice with my fork. “Do you know what happened to her? She’s so … different now.”
    Dad swallowed the last of his roast beef. “Supposedly she got involved with some boy at that fancy boarding school her father sent her to, and things went downhill from there. She got accepted to Brown—even got a partial scholarship—but Greg refused to pay the rest of hertuition.” Dad pushed his empty plate away from him. “According to Greg, he wasn’t about to spend his hard-earned money on Maddie’s schooling just to have her prancing around campus, wasting his money on tight skirts and black lipstick.”
    “Her dress wasn’t that tight,” I said. “And her lipstick is purple, not black.”
    “Purple, black, blue—it doesn’t really matter,” Mom said. “It breaks my heart every time I talk to Greg or Paulette—that girl seems to cause them more grief than any parent should have to bear.” Mom shook her head. “We just have to keep praying for Maddie and hope she eventually gets all this nonsense out of her system.”
    Mom returned to eating her salad, but Dad just stared at me. “Maybe we should do more than just pray for her,” he said.
    “You want me to speak to her?” Mom asked. “I can probably find some time next—”
    “Actually, I think Joshua should talk to her.”
    You would have thought I was born mute, as speechless as I was right then.
    Mom placed her fork on her plate. “Isaiah, don’t you think I’d be better suited to talk to her? I’ve been counseling young women for quite a few years.”
    “She and Joshua used to be best friends,” Dad said. “If anyone could get through to her, he could. Maybe he could stop by the coffee shop one day and strike up a conversation.”
    Yeah, I could do that. I’d be happy to do that.
    “And then what is he supposed to do? Tie her up and beat her over the head with a Bible?” Mom’s voice was a controlled shout. “Joshua’s only seventeen, Isaiah. He’s not—”
    “Joshua’s a good kid, Lily. It’ll take a lot more than a simple conversation to sway him off his path.” Dad rose from the table. “I’ve got to run. I’ve got a meeting at the church in less than an hour, and I still have to finish preparing my notes. We can talk about this more tonight.”
    Mom watched Dad disappear down the hallway, the frown on her face deepening as each second passed. “I think I’m finished with dinner,” she said after a few moments. “You want anything else to eat?”
    I looked at the mountain of meat sitting on my plate. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
    Mom rose from her chair but didn’t move away from the table. “I know you want to impress your father, but you don’t have to talk to Madeline if you don’t want to. He’s putting you in an uncomfortable situation.”
    “Really, I don’t mind.” I did my best to keep my voice cool and calm, to try to hide the fireworks popping off in my chest.
    “Maybe I should rephrase that. I don’t want you seeing Madeline.” Mom squeezed the back of her chair, her fingers disappearing in its plush cream cushioning. “Madeline used to be one of the smartest, sweetest girls I knew, but that was a long time ago. There’s no telling what type of person she is now.”
    I stared at Mom’s hands, wondering if they would leavea permanent imprint in the chair. “I just want to talk to her,” I said. “We’re Christians. It’s our job to help people, right?”
    She released her grip on the chair, then picked up her half-full plate. “That sounds like something your father would say.” She headed toward the kitchen but paused at the doorway. “Fine, go talk to the girl if you want to. But remember—you can’t save people who don’t want to be saved.”
    A few seconds later, I heard glasses clinking in the sink and the rush