How To Deal

Help Me Help You

*Author’s Note*

It’s almost over! This book isn’t as long as I wished, but the next one will be longer. I will have to title of my next one at the end of the very last chapter. I know I say this in every chapter, but …

Remember! VOTE! COMMENT!

I woke up as the sound of my phone going off filled the room. I picked it up and clicked on the text.

From Scott: On the way to pick you up now. Be ready in 10.

I got up and walked into the bathroom. Throwing my hair up and putting on some sweats I pulled myself together and walked out the door and into my office. I needed to find a piece of paper and something to write with.

---

Dear Ezra and Rose,

I’m going out. Help yourselves to anything in the house that you need. I hope Rose knows how much I love her and care about her. Ezra you’re a great father and anyone, even a blind person could see it. I hope no matter what happens in the future everything works out for you.

Best Wishes,

Maddyy <3

---

I reread my letter before tapping it on Ezra’s door and walking out the front door and getting into Scott’s car.

Scott’s POV

I watched Maddy walk out her house and towards the car. Even in sweats she looked beautiful, I still couldn’t believe she loved me back.

“Good morning,” she said getting in the passenger seat.

“Morning.”

“So what are we going to do?”

I looked at her to see if I could tell what she was thinking. Like always, though, she kept her face blank of all emotion. “We have to go to the station so you can tell us how to ambush your gang.”

“They’re not my gang, I don’t want anything to do with them.” I glanced over at her and caught her frowning and glaring out the window.

“You won’t have to worry about it much longer,” I said rubbing the back of her neck trying to calm her down a little bit.

It didn’t take us long to get to the station. I saw her tense up as I parked and started getting out.

“It’s ok Maddyy. Come on we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

She looked at me and tried to smile but it only turned into a grimace. I felt bad for making her help, it was better then going to jail for the rest of her life though.

“What do I have to say again?” she asked looking nervous. I smiled at how cute she looked when she was scared. I loved this girl so much. I felt her grab my hand as we made our way into the room for her to be questioned.

“The truth,” I said before giving her a hug and walking towards the door. “You’ll do great, I know you will.”

I saw her smile a real smile as I turned the corner to go into the observation so I could hear everything she said. We had to make sure she wasn’t lying about anything.

---

Maddyy’s POV

I looked around the room nervously as I waited for someone to walk through the door. The anticipation of what was happening today was making me feel sick to my stomach. I hated feeling like a rat, but when it came down to it I knew I had to do the right thing. After all I was caught red handed.

I heard the door open but couldn’t get myself to look up from the table in front of me. “Hello Maddyy,” a man said.

I looked up to see a man that looked to be in his late twenties looking at me. He had brown hair and brown eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to smile back at him as the nervousness in my stomach continued.

“I have a few questions to ask you, is that ok?” I didn’t answer. “I want to set the record straight before we continue on with this.”

I heard him pulling something out of his pocket I looked up to see a tape recorder being sat on the table waiting for me to tell my story to him.

He hit the record button, “I, Andrew Nanes, hereby declare that anything Maddyy Nelson says in this recording cannot and will not be used against her in the court of law or used to press charges on her. She is not reliable for the actions she has made these past few years and was never guided to have a good childhood.”

I turned red as he said the last few parts. Did everyone know how messed up I was? Did they judge me like I had always judged them?

“You ready?” the man named Andrew asked.

I nodded my head, waiting for him to continue on with this.

“Tell me about your childhood.”

I looked down at my hands as I began speaking. “It wasn’t your normal childhood I guess. My dad raised me the best he could under tough circumstances that I’m not willing to talk about. I was always treated fairly and with respect.”

He nodded, “When did you leave and why.”

“Why did I leave? I couldn’t handle the life I was growing up in. Everything was horrible, I mean it was great from an outside point of view I always had everything I ever needed but the life my dad led wasn’t for me. So once I turned twelve I left without looking back.”

“Maddyy, if you didn’t want the life your father was leading then why did you join a gang?”

I couldn’t help the chuckle coming out of my lips. “You don’t understand, you never will.”

“Then help me.”

I sighed, “I grew up when gangs dominated. Hell, they still do. You don’t know the start of it. You just know they exist, you don’t know how many or where or why. While you sit behind your safe little office and research and claim to know everything about people like me you don’t, but when push comes to shove you would do what we do in a heart beat. So if you can put that together I done it to survive. Survival of the fittest: only the strong will survive.

He nodded his head. “So you were with the gang for six years tell me about them.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I won’t. I’ll only tell you where they are and they will tell on everyone else. Especially this kid named Matthew, everyone calls him Matt, he’s more guilty then anyone. He’ll rat on them in a heart beat and then claim to be honest.”

Andrew nodded and looked at me thoughtfully. “How long did you date Tyler?”

“Not long. Long enough to know he’s in a gang ran by his father though.”

Andrew didn’t say anything else to me, he pushed the stop button and stood up. “Thank you Miss Maddyy.” He put out his hand for me to shake.

“No problem,” I stated coolly.

I sat there and watched him leave the room. It wasn’t long after that I heard someone else walk in and take the seat next to me.

“You did great,” Scott said.

“Yeah? Then why do I feel like such a rat?”

I didn’t wait on him to reply instead I walked out of the room and made my way to the parking lot. Looking around I knew there was no one that could help me anymore.

Tyler was going to hate me forever. Boss and Eddie were gone for a long time. Chris was dead. Cody would hate me as much as Tyler. Scott was a cop so he wouldn’t understand. My father would be upset at me for snitching on someone for my own benefit.

So instead of making my way in any specific direction I walked and walked without thinking about anything.

Maybe I should stay away for a while. Rose and Ezra would be okay without me for a few days. Right?