FicWad

I just want to say a big thank you to all the people that are reading this story and reviewing. I'm very happy you are enjoying it, and just because of that here is the next part. Thank you again! - Kelsey

Chapter Four

"Maddie, where are we going?" I persisted. Since she had pulled me out of her apartment we had been driving in her car to somewhere.

"Didn't I mention where we were going?" she asked staring at the road.

"No," I said shortly. The blinding headlights of the cars passing us by made me close my eyes.

"We're going to my ex's."

"What?!?" My eyes shot back open and I stared over at her. She looked at me and gave a weak smile. "Why are we going there?"

"Oh Patrick relax," she said. "He's not even home."

"How do you know?" I didn't even know her ex. For all I know he could be a body builder, and let's be honest I wouldn't stand a chance.

"He's a DJ at a club downtown," she said. "He won't get home 'til at least 3."

I brushed my hair back and readjusted my cap. "So your plan is to break into his house and get these pictures back?"

"Well, it's not really breaking in if I have a key," she said smiling.

"It won't be to the police," I muttered.

"Patrick stop worrying," she said taking a exit. "We'll be in and out before you know it."

I hope so.



The stairs creaked as we walked up them. Maddie kept darting her eyes to me to tell me to be quiet, but what was I suppose to do? I don’t control the stairs. They were against me.

Climbing five flights of stairs late at night isn’t what I call fun and by the time I had stepped up the last step I was exhausted.

"Patrick stop breathing so loud," Maddie hissed looking around. "My ex doesn’t have too friendly neighbors as I recall."

My eyes darted to the surrounding doors just waiting to see an angry man holding an ax or someone ready to chop my head off.

Maddie inserted her key into the door and wiggled it around. As she was concentrating I saw she bite her tongue and close one eye. I smiled at this and checked one more time for the axed man.

"Got it," Maddie said turning to me and smiling. She opened the door very slowly. It creaked once and she stopped suddenly waiting for silence to come again. Then she sighed and pushed it open to let us in.

Once we were in she turned around and shut it just as slowly. I surveyed the apartment looking at the fine things this boyfriend had accommodated. He had a nice flat screen TV with a mantel. Who the fuck had mantels anymore? I went over to it and saw a couple of awards on it. One was for winning All-State Track finals. I picked it up and looked at the date.

"1995!" I gasped. This kid had a trophy from 1995. "Hey Maddie look at this," I said.

Maddie, who was still by the door, shot her glance over to me and walked over. "Patrick what are you doing?" She said taking the trophy from my hands. "Don't touch anything!"

"Sorry," I said as she placed the trophy back. 1995? Huh, what a loser! Maybe I could take him in that fight.

"Patrick," Maddie said clutching my shoulder to make sure I was listening. "I think the pictures will either be in the cabinet over there…" she pointed to a cabinet placed behind the kitchen table. "…or in his bedroom."

"I'll take the cabinet," I offered quickly. I did not want to see this guys' bedroom. It was probably a shrine to himself.

"Fine," she said disappearing down a nearby hallway.

I made my way to the cabinet and went to pull open the top drawer but found it difficult because it was locked. Shit! I thought. Now what? I did a quick glance at the tables and surfaces close by praying that a key would just be sitting there waiting to be seen by me. I have no luck!

I decided to abandon the cabinet maybe Maddie would find the pictures in his bedroom so I wouldn't need to look anyways. I walked behind his couch to see a lovely display of pictures on his wall. What was this guy a home decorator too? I glanced once over them catching the same guy in a few of them. He had dark brown hair and a pierced eyebrow over chocolate eyes. His smile seemed more of a smirk and if I wasn't mistaken his front bottom tooth was chipped. Fuck! He would kick my ass!

"Patrick!"

I turned quickly around to see Maddie emerging from the hallway photos safely clutched in her hand.

"I got 'em," she said radiating a perfect smile.

I smiled too and moved away from the pictures towards her. "Good, let's get out of here," I said looking around. "For some reason I don't like this guy."

Maddie gave a disapproving face, but moved past me none the less towards the door.

I glanced once more at the ex's mantle gave a small smile and turned to leave as well. What I wasn't counting on though was that I would run right into his side table. It crushed into my right leg sending a deafening screech through the apartment.

"Fuck!" I expressed my agony a little too loudly. I clutched down my leg to somehow squeeze out the pain.

"Patrick!" I heard Maddie hiss her now familiar voice. "What are you…"

She stopped mid-sentence and I looked up to see her face staring horror struck at me. Oh no! What is it now? Something was wrong with the mantle. It had to be the mantle. Please let it be the mantle. I slowly straightened up from my position and turned around to hear a small growl come from the ex's back bedroom.

"Maddie," I whispered as my heart rate became more rapid. "Does your ex have a dog?"

Maddie's sharp intakes of breath could be heard from where I stood. "Yeah," she almost whimpered. "And he's not too friendly."

I took in a deep breath as another growl was heard and a shadow appeared in the hallway. All I could make out were snarled noises and sharp teeth. The Russell Terrier took one look at me with its beady eyes and didn't waste time to start barking to signal intruders.

"Maddie," I whispered craning my neck to get a glance of her, but I saw nothing. The next thing I felt was her arms grabbing my shoulder and leading me out of the way of the dog who had just pounced my way.

Her grip was tight on my shoulder and she practically threw me behind the couch and across the room. I stubbed my toe on the locked cabinet, but my cries of pain this time were gone unheard. Maddie was pulling me to an open door on the opposite side of the room. I was thrown to the ground and my head connected with tile. I heard the door slam and a rough knock as I assumed the dog had ran right into it. The barks of the Russell Terrier cut into my ears as I realized I had just escaped death. Okay, not death, but maybe.

Now that my life was once again in my own hands I felt pain surge through me. My toe was no doubt probably bleeding by now. My leg still throbbed from it's acquaintance with the side table, and now my head was forming a nice bump from my fall.

"Get up Patrick!" Maddie hissed at me from her spot by the door.

Get up Patrick! Get up Patrick! Did she know what had just happened to me? I hoisted myself up to a sitting position as I saw Maddie pace back and forth in front of the door. Small barks still could be heard from the outside. I placed a hand on the side of my head to feel the bump that I knew had been there, then I took in my surroundings and realized we had taken refuge in the bathroom.

"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" Maddie was saying still pacing in front of my fallen body. "He will come home and see us…and this…and oh my God!"

I took in another breath unsure of the situation we were in. I had escaped the dog, but I had already come to the conclusion if we were found the ex would kill me.

I pulled myself off the tile floor getting a head rush from the exhilarating movement. Maddie saw me rise and stopped her pacing to glare at me.

"You had to run into the table," she scolding sounding somewhat like my mother.

"Hey," I said trying to defend myself. "It was dark." Okay it wasn't that dark, but I have trouble thinking quickly.

Maddie gave an exhausted sigh and walked past me to sit on the toilet. Once she sat down she folded her hands in her face and let her head fall. I sat and watched her for a minute before taking in more of what we had exactly ran into. The bathroom was a pale blue and the tiles on the floor gave me a feeling like I was playing chess. The bathtub sat beside the toilet which Maddie occupied. I went to sit on it's edge feeling my feet throb with the movements.

"I'm sorry," I sighed sitting down and placing a calculated-placed hand on her knee.

Maddie took her hands out of her hand and looked up at my with her courageous eyes I had once known. "We need to get out of here."