Living After Abortion (Adopted by Jennifer Lawrence Fanfic)

(32) We Meet Again

••Maddie's POV••

I hear the creepy music more clearly as I turn around and meet his cold blue eyes.

"Madison, it's so great to see you." He said in a fake American accent.

He has a thick beard and his hair is dyed black, but it's him. It's Nicholas.

"Maddie..." Romeo trails off, "Is this?" He seems at a loss for words.

"Yeah, it's him." I state, never taking my eyes off of the man.

He's wearing black pants and a Santa Monica pier worker shirt.

He seems completely oblivious to Romeo, "I had to leave in such a hurry last time I saw you. I was very sad to hear you were in the hospital." He ditched the accent and sounds like himself again, almost. His voice sounds very dry.

"Maddie," Romeo whispers, "we need to get out of here."

I nod my head, but don't move. If we start to run, he will only chase us, so instead I keep him talking.

"How long have you been here?" I ask.

He laughs a little, "I got a job here not too long ago. I was minding my own business when I saw you here and knew it was to good to be true. I just had to follow you."

Romeo speaks up, "What do you want?"

Nicholas becomes more serious, "For this pathetic little brat to pay for what she's done."

"What she's done?" Romeo's accent comes in thicker now.

"She has cost me everything I have!" His loud voice gives me goosebumps. "I will never be an actor again!" He looks at me, "I can't access my bank accounts and I had to go into hiding! You ruined my reputation!"

His voice echoes so loudly, I was surprised nobody from outside has heard and come to the rescue yet.

"You ruined your reputation. You did all that. Not Maddie." Romeo states.

It's silent for a moment.

Nicholas steps closer, trapping us in a corner.

He reaches out and strokes my hair, "I don't understand why you weren't a good little girl."

He's acting weird, angry one minute, then plain creepy the next. He reaches into his pocket and I faintly see a knife in his hands.

I think Romeo is aware, because he steps in front of me, but Nicholas kicks him in the stomach and he falls to the ground.

Nicholas speaks with so much hatred in his voice, it's terrifying, "For almost two months. Two months! I've been living like this--like a criminal, because of you."

I was going to correct him and say that he was in fact a criminal, but I thought twice about it.

Romeo is on the ground behind him now, I can see him in another mirror, but Nicholas can't--he's too tall. He gets up off of the ground and regains his posture. He holds up three fingers and silently counts. That's when I jump away and Romeo kicks Nicholas in the back, making him fall forward onto the place I was standing seconds before.

Nicholas turns around, but Romeo is ready for him. He pulls his fist back and punches him hard in the face. He punches him a few more times and I hear a crack, then Nicholas passes out cold.

Romeo looks as if he's in pain, but grabs my arm anyways and we run out the rest of the maze.

When we reach outside, the paparazzi is waiting for us. We fight through them and we hurry into a storefront, out of breath.