the Officer and his Beauty

Chapter 21

Madison pov

I didn’t speak with Nate, and I didn’t look at him, in fact. I pretended he didn’t exist anymore when Nana was delighted, noticing that I had left as soon as Nate entered the room.

Mrs. Jameson always had something for me to do, and at this point, I didn’t care; I just didn’t.

I was cleaning the bathroom, my hair up, when I heard Nate coming back. He was like a machine, up at five and running his workouts. Then he left for the lumberyard, and he always remembered his lunch.

I threw the toilet brush back into its holder; why was I still around?! I would be better off on the streets instead of being an unpaid maid to a crazy old bat and her traitorous grandson that f****d me and then told me to get dressed and get out!

I heard the heavy steps coming down the hall when it stopped, and I held my breath; I didn’t want to see him, and at the same time, I did; it was confusing hating and wanting someone, your heart pulling in two directions.

Nate seemed to have lost his courage when he just turned and walked inside his room and closed the door when I started to cry, hurrying to flush water from the tap. The last thing I needed was the old hag hearing me when she did everything she could to make my life miserable; I wouldn’t let her see my tears; no way was happening!

I had been inside there longer than I was supposed to when splashing cold water on my face and looking at my reflection. I was still swollen, and you could tell I had been crying.

I was going out of the bathroom when the door opened to Nate's room, and our eyes met, making us both stop; he looked insanely guilty at me when I just glanced away; I still hadn’t forgiven him for having s*x with me, and then just told me to get out.

“Maddie…” he sounded just as hurt when I snapped my eyes back at his furious; he was not speaking to me, calling me Maddie, not a freaking chance!

“Shut up! just shut the f**k up, whatever you are going to say!” I said it cold when he made a hurt face, and his big body just slouched like he had lost all air in his chest; well, he was the coward here, not me.

“Madison, what on earth are you saying?!” I looked behind Nate, who seemed surprised when the old bat, Nana, stood there. She was furious, not at Nate.

“Cursing at Nate!? He hasn’t done anything to deserve that; what is wrong with you, girl?! I don’t know how the act where you are raised, but in this house, we don’t curse at each other, you understand that?!” her old voice was sharp, and I just bent my neck and nodded, eyes down; what more could I do? I was at her mercy, and she knew it because how she treated me was not okay; Nate knew, and he did nothing to help me. Just let his crazy old Nana push me around.

“Yes, Mrs. Jameson.” I was biting the inside of my cheek hard, feeling the taste of iron when I wasn’t going to start to cry again, but I didn’t cry for the old witch being mean; it was the big guy who just pretended to care, have s*x with me and then just going back to being his Nana's good boy, he disgusted me!

“Good! Now, apologize to Nate!” Mrs. Jameson was closer, had her hand on Nate's arm, and I looked up. He was suffering so much when I nodded again, apologizing to Nate. Right.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Nate….” My voice was shaking when I said it. He made an even more hurt face when his grandmother smirked at me, where he couldn’t see her. I had no idea how my life ended up like this, but if they thought they could break me, I would show them!

“Good; now go clean up in the living room, and after that, you can wash Nate's clothes to show him just how sorry you are for cursing at him.” She was still holding onto his arm when he was tense and looked like he wanted to say something, but I knew he wouldn’t. He hadn’t the last week when we avoided each other, so why now?

“No; she said she was sorry, and that’s enough...” I looked up, confused, when Nate seemed determined. Was this his way of putting down his foot against her? If it was, it was the saddest excuse for going against your parent in history.

“No, Nate, I know you are too kind-hearted, but Madison needs to learn the rules that we don’t curse in this house, and when we do, we get consequences for our actions.”

Mrs. Jameson sounded more serious now, and I wanted to scoff; I was neither a child nor Nate. Still, she talked to him and me like we were and needed scolding for doing bad things.

“It's fine; I want to do it.” Surprised, Nate looked back like he believed me, making me even more annoyed. Did he really think I wanted to wash his sweaty trainers and sweaters? Had he gone completely crazy?

“Alright, I can bring down my stuff later, after dinner…” he said it like I was supposed to be happy that I had to wash; I hated him, and I hated everything that he had touched, so I hated myself too since I had let him do whatever he wanted to me, and I have loved it.

“Oh, Nate, no, you won’t have time. I have invited Stephanie and her mother over; they are coming in about two hours, so you just rest and get dressed for dinner. Madison can pick up your laundry when she’s done cooking.” I made a small gasp; cooking too?! Was it some kind of joke?!

Nate wanted to say something, but he didn’t; instead, he just gave a slight nod, and I glared at Nana and her whipped boy, who would have a date while I was cooking.

“What are you still standing around for, Madison? Get to work.

We don’t have all day!” the witch had a sharp tone again when I just darted past the two people that I hated the most in the whole world, more than I had ever hated anyone, even more, when a girl ruined my dress on purpose at my birthday when I was fourteen.

I was done cleaning when I walked over and got Nate's clothes. He had put them in a hamper outside his door, and I took them fast, just wanting this day to end.

Nate opened, hearing me come, and I walked faster down the small basement and started to push his s**t inside of the machine, hating every second of the strong smell that was making me want to start to cry again when I just gave into the sniffling and slammed the hatched hard.

I had turned on the old machine and didn’t hear the heavy steps coming down and just made a deep gasp when I felt the arms around me, sitting on the basement floor and bawling my eyes out.

“I’m sorry, I’m so f*****g sorry… I just…. I want to tell her…. Please, Maddie, I’m trying, but….” I looked up at Nate's stressed-out face; I hadn’t pushed him away; I was too tired, but I still hated him.

I did, and nothing would change that, not him holding me here in the faint light of the washer and telling me that he was sorry for letting his sadistic grandmother use me. No, I didn’t want to listen to that.

“Just go… just go away…. I don’t want you around. Do you hear me, Nate?! Just leave!” I was pushing him back when he just made an even more hurt face; in fact, now that I saw him, he looked like s**t, like he hadn’t been sleeping the last week at all, and I made a faintly sarcastic smile at his suffering; he could go to hell!

“Go back; Nana is waiting for you; just go like the good boy you are….” I made a sneer in the end, feeling so bitter when suddenly, I was lifted and stared at him. He looked like he did in the restaurant, determined and imposing, making me stop breathing. Why was he doing this to me?!

“Let me go!” I was not moving, but my lips were saying what I was supposed to say; the rest of me was frozen into his gaze that was nailing me down hard and mercilessly like he wanted me to understand just how much he was trying to tell Nana that he wanted me.

“No, not until you hear me out.” He sounded a bit softer when I snarled back; no, I didn’t want to hear it; I owed him nothing!

“Get lost, Nana's boy. Don’t you have a date that’s waiting for you upstairs!?” I was mocking him when he was dressed in a shirt and slacks, all dressed up and ready to be the puppet with a girl his grandmother approved of anyone who wasn’t me!

“You really think I want to sit and listen to Stephanie Wendel talk? I'd rather eat dirt than date her!” he made a sneering face that made me smile sarcastically; well, boohoo for him, I didn’t care!

“Well, that’s not what Nana thinks, seeing that she was the one that brought her in here, and you are all dressed for the part, Nate, so go dance for her, you trained gorilla!” I hated when he kissed me, and I kissed back in the dark laundry room before I yanked back; he was not kissing me!

“Maddie…please…. Just talk to me… anything….” He was begging me when I made a sneer; I wasn’t going to say anything; he told me enough when he told me to get out of his room!

“Fine. Be like that. You know what. I’m going to go up and have that boring date with Stephanie, and then I’m going to f**k her, and I’m going to make you listen to us!” I choked when letting me down fast, and I fell onto my knees onto the clothes beneath me. Was he seriously going to do that?!

“I hate you, Nate, you hear me?! I hate you!” he was already on his way up the stairs when he stopped and continued forward when I started to cry again; I hated him!