The Runaway 

Part 1

   I laid in the bed with my eyes closed. The clock on the wall was ticking and it began to annoy me. I could hear them fighting from downstairs. Their voices echoed up the stairs and through the hall finding its way to my room. Somehow over the years I've learned how to push out the sound. But other times, I can't help, but let myself listen. To every threat, every curse word, every excuse. It just never ended.

   And so I put in my head phones and played my iPod. I put it on shuffle so I wouldn't be picky. The sound disappeared and I the music played. I kept my eyes closed to every song and fell asleep. 

   I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. Of course, I thought, she's gonna pretend nothing happened. So I slowly got out of my bed and headed down the stairs. The bacon was sizzling and I looked around. Our family photo's frame was chipped. Dad. I thought. I shook my head and walked into the kitchen.She was singing in her pink robe.

   "Where's dad?" I sat down and poured some juice.

   "Asleep, Hun." She turned around. There on her cheek was a bruise.

   "Mom?" I stood up, "Why are you letting him do this?" I whispered.

   "It was an accident. I shouldn't make him so angry." She put her hand on my cheek. I let my eyes wonder her face. Scars and more bruises laid across her face. Screaming at me the past of dozens of beatings from him. And she just continued to let it happen. Like it was absolutely nothing. 

    I sat down and slowly chewed the bacon. 

   "Tell your sister to come down for breakfast." I walked upstairs and peeked in my parents bedroom. He was there laying on the bed with a Jack Daniels bottle on the dresser. I shut the door and headed to Lizzy's room. I walked in and shook her. 

   "Get up!" I yelled. Me and Lizzy did not get along at all. We were constantly fighting over everything. I always considered that it was a possible reason why there was always so much stress on my mom. But seeing her everyday miserable was always making me upset. 

   Lizzy always complained that she also wanted them to divorce. She once said she wished she could be a daddy's girl, but at the same wished she didn't have a dad at all.

    I usually ignored her. There was no point in trying to change my mom's mind. 

   "You're gonna be late to school girls" My mom put my plate in the sink.

   "I'm not going" I headed back to my room.

   "No, I don't think that's a good idea" My mom pointed to her bedroom door. Indicating that my dad would be mad at her again. I hated school and so I hardly wanted to go. But I forced myself, I was acing math and I loved to paint and so I decided to be the past at them both. I never showed my parents the awards I received. They wouldn't care. They were always in a fight. They had no time for me. 

   So I pulled my back pack over my shoulder. And went into my room to get dressed. I threw it on my bed and sat next to it. I looked into my closet and there was my suitcase filled with new clothes. I had been working at a Victoria Secret for almost a year. I saved every penny and the only money I spent was on gas and very rarely I bought clothes to fill my suitcase. I had a plan to get out of this house since then and I still had it now. I forced my suitcase deeper into the closet so no one could see it. I hurried to get dressed.

   I headed into my car well Lizzy followed. She was a sophomore at the high school well I was a senior and we avoided each other in the halls. On the way to school we listened to music like always.We always tried to pretend everything was okay with us. But we both knew we hated every second that went by.

   Finally, at school, we separated and for the rest of the day I thought up the perfect plan for tonight. Tonight, I thought, tonight i'm getting out of that house and i'm leaving it all behind. 

   I sat in my car after school and waited for Lizzy to get in. Then I saw Brayden walking towards my car. Brayden was my best guy friend who knew of my plan. I rolled down the window.

   "Hey" He said as he looked into the car. He looked around the car. Before I could say 'hey' back he went on "So when are you leaving Bree?" He sounded inpatient. 

   "Soon, dude. I think tonight. My dad hit her again and I can't do it anymore." 

   "I agree. I'll be home all night, kay? Just stop by when you're out. I got your bed and room and everything. Then we'll just live together and you won't ever have to see 'em again." I smiled. Since the day I was fifteen I told Brayden everything because he told me about his mom's affair with his dad's brother. He told me how his uncle threatened to kill him if he spoke a word. Then I told him my life. Every since then, we've been the best of friends. 

~The Night of the Party~        

  I see him standing there. With that smile of pride and confidence. For the longest time I hated it. Sometimes I pretend it doesn't bother me, when I know inside, it burns me. I know what he did to her last summer. I watched with my own eyes. She walks around this school in heavy sweaters and dark make up. how do people not know? Why don't I tell someone? Is it because he threatened to kill me? Or because she made me promise not to say a word.
          Ashley Thomas. One of my classmates. We weren't really friends. The only time we talked was if we were partnered up with each other during an assignment. Sometimes I wish I would just ask her why. But I know she'll hate me if she hears me bring it up. So I won't.

         It was Friday night, not much was going on just a late party that seemed to go on for too long. I walked out the back with my jacket on. I walked around looking for where I parked my car. "Let me go!" I heard a scream from behind me and I looked back. I saw Ashley and her boyfriend Greg fighting. He was trying to get her to lay in the backseat of his Ford pickup truck.
          "Just once, babe, that's all I ask for" He tried to drag her in, but she kept kicking.
"I said no Greg, knock it off!" She punched him on the shoulder "You have two seconds...to put...me down!" She got away and ran toward the house. I pulled my keys in my front pocket and walked up towards him
          "Leave her alone Greg!" I yelled "Or i'll call the police"
         "You don't scare me, you little bitch!" He yelled back
          "Ash, i'll take you home" I called out to her.
          "Yea, that'll be fine, thanks" She walked towards me, almost running. But then he snatched her again.
          "I told you I was taking you home, now get in the truck," He punched her in the face. She fell to the floor as I hurried to help her. He kicked me in the ribs and I let out a cry.
          "I'm calling the cops!" I screamed. He kicked dirt in my eyes and I let go of Ashley. She held her face and cried as she tried to get up. He picked her up over his shoulder and ran over to his truck. He slammed the backseat door and waited as the lights faded. I held my ribs as I ran toward the truck. He locked it. I banged on the window and started to scream "Open the door, or i'll call the cops!" I started to cry in a panic. "I'm telling everyone at the party!" I let go of the handle and tried running to the door of the house. Holding my side.
           He must of been planning to do this tonight, because his friend Ron, hurried to catch me. "Go away!" I yelled.
         "Where do you think you're going?" he laughed "I'm sick of you being a little cock blocking bitch! We all know you can suck a mean dick," He laughed "Get on your knees bitch!" He threw me to the floor and I reached into my pocket for my phone. He snatched it. "You won't be needing this, kay?" he spit in my face and threw the phone. I got up and ran back to the truck where I saw Ashley run out with no pants.
         "Ashley!" I called out. She ran into the darkness of the trees. "Ashley!" I ran toward her. Both Greg and Ron went back in the house.
         I saw her kneel in the bushes and started to pray. Ashley was a very religious girl from the south. "Ash" I knelt beside her, "You Okay?" I laid my hand on her shoulder. "I'll take you home"
        "Go away please, we both need forgiveness." I looked at her confused.
         "I don't...I don't understand"
         "You could have saved me Olivia, but you didn't. I should have never came here." She prayed. "Leave me here, i'll be fine." She got up, and stared me in the eyes. "Don't ever tell anyone what happened here tonight. Understand?" I nodded, confused.
          "I tried to save you, I'll take you home. And we'll forget everything. I won't say a word. I promise." I looked around the trees.
          "Greg is taking me home."
          "He raped you!"
          "Shhh! Nothing happened!" I saw a bruise forming the the moonlight.
         "He hit you!"
          "It was my fault!" She walked back to his truck and sat in the passenger side.
          "No, Ashley, you're coming with me!" I tried to pull her out of the car, when Greg suddenly pushed me down.
          "Go home bitch" He laughed and walked around towards the drivers side. He started the car. I got up. Ashley rolled up her window and starred out the windshield.
            "Ashley!" I banged on her window. No response. They drove off. Leaving me standing there. I went to look for my phone. The screen was badly cracked and the battery was missing. I threw it back on the ground and started looking for my keys.
            When I got home I went on Facebook and saw that she posted on her wall saying, she had a great night. She tagged Greg and all her friends.
           Ever since that night, they have been together ever since. She's three months pregnant. And she was kicked out of her house. They have never spoke to me since.