Beloved (Book Five)

Chapter 6: Sleep at Last

I made Madison clean her face with tap water before going to bed. She grabbed her toothbrush then brushed until the blood came out of her gums.

"Get dressed," I ordered. She gave me a mean look, but didn't argue with me. After she was finished brushing her teeth, she changed into her silky pajamas then collapsed on the bed.

I took off my cap then let out a relieved sigh. Thank goodness, Madison is okay. "Hey Cole," Madison mumbled. I glanced at her. She rested her back against the pillows then met my eyes.

"Why did you save me back there?" she asked. "You rather let me ignore the fact that the man has slapped you around?" I snorted. "Who was he anyway, your boyfriend?"

"No," she pouted. "Where's the rest of the Charlie's Angels?" I asked. "They abandoned me to go and hang out with their boyfriends." "Some friends," I muttered. "I am not expecting you to say thank you or anything to me, all because you let this happen to yourself."

Madison glared at me for a moment. "At least I didn't act like some police officer," she sneered. "Promise me that you will stay away from Frat parties," I sighed. "I am not going to come after you, you know."

"Fine," she mumbled. "Good night." I turned off the light then closed my eyes. The next morning, I woke up groggily and decided to take a relaxing shower and brush my teeth.

I gathered my towel, soap, bathrobe, and spare clothes. then headed to the bathroom. As soon as I got there, the warm steam clouded my nose. Most of the girls were changing into their clothes while others lingered in the showers.

The white walls were drenched in dew while the tiles were covered in soapy water. Carrying my supplies, I wore my blue velvet bathrobe then walked, leaving wet footprints behind me.

As soon as a girl walked out of the shower, I took a deep breath before heading in. I removed my clothes and put them in a plastic bag. I turned on the dial and watched as the water sprinkle over me.

Taking a huge drop of soap, I scrubbed my arms, chest, and legs until I heard someone groaning. "Have you been to Michael's party last night?"

I scrubbed my armpits, but listened to the conversation. "No," another girl answered. "What happened?" "Some crazy chick tossed her drink at the host," her friend replied. "Who even does that anyway?" "What else happened?" another girl asked.

"Jake is recovering from the hospital, because someone sprayed pepper spray in his eyes and used a taser on him." "Wow," the girl responded. "That's freaky."

I rolled my eyes then resumed back to scrubbing my body with a soapy washcloth. After I let the soap drained, I turned the dial back off then dried my body with a towel.

Folding my towel, I wore my red tank top along with a purple plaid shirt, jeans, and brown boots, took my supplies, then left the shower. As soon as I got out the two girls were giving me mean looks.

I took my toothbrush and toothpaste from my bathrobe pockets then headed over the sink to brush my teeth. The same girls were gossiping about the stupid party followed after me.

"Are you the girl who gave Jake a beating?" one of the girls asked. "Do I look like Chuck Norris to you?" I asked sarcastically. I stared at the other girl who reminded me of the person who called me a klutz on the first day.

She had short brown hair and blue fishy eyes. I applied toothpaste to my brush, added some water, and spread it all over my teeth. The last thing I wanted to do right now is pick a fight with these morons.

"What is your problem?" the Sorority girl asked. I took a plastic cup, filled it with water, then gargled it. After I spat it out, I grabbed a I wiped my face with a small towel before squeezing it dry and putting it into my bag.

"Get lost," I snapped to the girls. "Shouldn't you be going to some sort of fan club meeting or something?" "It's called a Sorority," the girl corrected with a sneer. "Wow," I said, acting impressed. "I really don't care." The girls rolled their eyes at me then walked out of the bathroom.

After sliding my key card into the slot, I entered my dorm room and found Madison, sitting on my bed and reading my old notebook. "Hey," I cried, storming into the room. I yanked the book out of her hands then shoved it into the drawer. "Hello," Madison said casually.

"I don't know what you read," I explained. "But it's extremely private." "You think that your father is the one who killed Ellen?" Madison snorted. "What kind of a daughter thinks that?" "None of your business, Blondie." I snapped. "Last night, I saved you from that creep, and this how you repay me?"

"I thought you didn't expect a 'thank you' ." she replied. "Why do you have all these old notebooks?" "Why is that your business?" I asked bluntly. She rolled her eyes at me then leaped out of my bed. "I was bored, okay?" Madison admitted. "And besides, I didn't look at the sappy moments of your novel, I only read a few paragraphs of it."

"Define few," I said, crossing my arms. "I don't know," Madison shrugged. "Like, five sentences and it got totally boring. So,what is it with you and your father?" she asked. "I think it's time for breakfast," I said, changing the subject. "Okay," she shrugged again. "I'm going to have brunch with the girls. You can't come." After rubbing pink gloss on her lips, she gave me a smile then left the room with a slam.

I ran my fingers through my hair then gathered all the notebooks that I have written over the past two years. I walked over to my closet then buried the journals under my folded clothes. I see my pendant necklace lingering on the side of my desk as I snatched it and put it on.

I grabbed my blue backpack from the suitcase and walked out of the dorm room. I touched the outlines of my keycard. My bath supplies are secured in my suitcase, along with my wet fabrics. When I have time, I will let them dry until I can find a washing machine.

In the cafeteria, people were lining up to get their breakfast pastries. Instead of waiting, I bought a granola bar from the breakfast buffet, devoured it, and threw the wrapper into the trashcan. While people were eating breakfast, I glanced at the time. My criminology class starts in five minutes, and I don't think I can wait that long. Speaking of criminology, I wondered if Ben is taking it first period as me.

Although, he did say he is going to take some forensic classes. I hope he's okay. "Hey," someone whispered. I let out a sigh then turned around. I almost expected it was another guy hitting on me or a girl calling me names, but it was a woman.

She had grayish brown hair, green eyes, and a wrinkled face. She wore a black dress with red heels. "Hello," she greeted. "Problems with the coffee machine again?" I guessed. She gave me a curious look. "There are old and fresh streaks of coffee all over your dress," I explained. "You woke up on the wrong side of the bed, right?"

She gave me a long stare. For a minute, I thought she was going to lecture me. "How did you know that?" she asked. "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" "The purple rings around your eyes," I stated. The bell rang for first period to begin. I grabbed my backpack then flashed the shocked woman with an apologetic smile.

"I'll see you," I said, walking out of the cafeteria door.