My arms are white with self-wrapped bandages from my wrists up to my elbows. I have a large tank-top on underneath a long-sleeved jacket. Can't exactly wear it the whole day--it's supposed to be in the 80s today. Funny, summer doesn't start for two weeks--after I turn 18--and I'm already finding it difficult to cover up.

There's a bruise on my wrist. I tried to cover it as much as I could, but it's still semi-visible. Stepmonster's not being quite as careful now that Mother is gone. She died only a couple days ago, but it feels like forever has passed and I should be dead. I would be if Stepmonster ever left me alone.

I don't sleep in my room anymore.

***

"What's that on your wrist, freak?"

I glance to my right to see Alexa and Chase walking towards me. She has her usual I'm-at-the-top, popular-girl smile on and I shrug, answering simply, "A bruise." Alexa blinks, surprised that I am not sarcastic.

"Go on. What are you gonna do to me? Sprain my wrist? Break a bone? Stab me again? Do it and get it over with, damnit. I have a class to get to."

Chase blinks this time around and glances at Alexa--waiting for orders, no doubt. Alexa snorts, and--get this--smiles. Only it's not a nice smile. No, the smile Alexa gives me is sickeningly close to Stepmonster's and through it all--through all the grief and hopelessness--there comes white-hot fear burning from one end of my spine to the other.

"Take her to the restroom. Bring a couple of your buddies. Have fun." Her voice is pitched so only Chase and I can hear her, and the words she speaks send a wave of nausea through me so strong I swear I'm going to puke. I don't, but if I had it would have landed right onto Alexa's shiny new stilleto heels.

Chase grabs me by my bruised wrist and drags me down the hall towards the men's room. He doesn't take his buddies with him. I wonder if that's to my benefit or not.

He shoves me into the restroom first and then enters, chuckling.

Why does everyone always chuckle?

"Move, bitch." He shoves me farther into the bathroom, towards the... the big handicapped stall.

"You wanna help Daddy, don't you sweetheart?"

I shudder at the memories running through my head and gather my breath to scream... Just in time for him to cover my mouth.

"Uh-uh. I don't think so, freak. Your little fuck buddy Adam ain't gonna save you this time. You're mine."

He shoves me to the ground and I yelp as my tailbone hits first. His running shoe puts pressure on my throat, denying me breath, and he grins down at me, eyes glinting.

"Now, freak, I can do this until you pass out, or you can promise to stay quiet and I'll let you breathe again."

My eyes are getting little dots, interrupting my vision, but I don't need to see him to hate him. I use what's left of my breath to whisper my answer.

"Fuck you."

The pressure on my throat increases and my body convulses as the natural and automatic drawing of breath is made impossible.

"Wrong answer, freak."

I try grabbing for his leg, but my arms are weak and useless. There's a blackness framing my vision now, and even as I fight against it, I know I've no hope of escaping.

"Help Daddy, sweetheart. Touch it."

I tremble and try--just one more time--to force his shoe off my throat. I might be Stepmonster's whore, but I'm not going to be Chase's as well.

Chase stumbles backwards out of the bathroom stall and I lay there, coughing and sputtering, but breathing again.

"Bitch! Oh, you are so gonna pay for that."

Pain sprouts from my ribs and I realize he's kicking me. Beating me. He gets me right under my sternum and I gasp, curling in on myself. His attack is not done. Every inch of me that he can reach, he kicks.

Then he's on me, pinning me to the ground with one hand and undoing my jeans with the other. I try to squirm away, but it's useless. I am trapped and he is taking full advantage.

"I wonder if Phil the Freak is as much a freak in bed as she is out of it." His smirk says he's about to find out. My jeans are shoved to my ankles and he chuckles again.

I do the only thing I can think to do--I scream, loud and shrill and not like anything anyone would ever ignore. It breaks off as Chase punches me in the jaw, but it happened. It reverberates around the room and Chase's eyes harden. He holds my throat tight enough to cut off my breathing again and pins me at the same time. I am unable to breathe, let alone scream as he undoes his own zipper and--

And the door to the bathroom bangs open. Footsteps run towards us and Chase stands up, running out of the stall to beat the pulp out of whoever interrupted him.

I hear a body drop and curl into the corner after pulling my jeans up. The stall door swings open and I cringe.

Adam steps into the stall, looking all heroic and cop-like in his black on black on black ensemble and ass kickin' boots. His gaze goes straight to me as I grip the railing they have in this stall and use it to pull myself up. I lean on it, holding my side, and breathe slowly in and out before looking up and meeting Adam's eyes with my own.

"Get me out of here."

~*~*~

"You need to go home."

I shake my head. The last thing I want to do right now is go home. I'd rather face Chase and all of his buddies than go home and face Stepmonster. Or worse, an empty house. Too many memories are running through my mind right now, I can't face them on my own.

I can't face them.

"Philena, you need to rest. You look exhausted and that on top of injuries--" I cut him off. I am not going home until school is over. Later if I can drag it out.

"Minor injuries. They'll heal on their own." I pause and take a shallow breath. At least, I hope they'll heal. They won't if I get any more beatings this week.

"I can't go home, Adam. Alone in that house? Alone with all these thoughts? I do that enough at night, I don't need to during the day too. School will give me more rest than being at that house would. There are too many..." Can't say memories. Can't say memories.

Adam says nothing and sits next to me instead. Not too close, I notice, but close enough that it would be comforting to many others. I don't know what it makes me feel. I don't know if I'll ever fully feel again.

I sigh and finish my sentence, "...too many thoughts. Way too many thoughts."

He nods, "I understand."

I doubt he does, but allow him to guide me back inside the school anyway. Instead of walking me to my class, though, he walks me to the attendance office. I look from him to the office ladies and back to him. What is he doing?

"Hello, Mr. Liechent, what is it we can do for you?" One of them asks him, smiling.

"Hello, Mrs. Dracone. Philena here is feeling rather light-headed and sick. I thought I would drive her home. Would that be okay?" I can't believe it. He's stuck on getting me home. I can't go home! Not yet! I don't want to be there with Stepmonster more than I have to be.

"I don't see why not. Sign yourself and her out and just remember to sign in when you get back." She smiles at me and I try to smile back. I think it shows up on my face like a grimace.

"Thank you, Ma'am." He signs us out and we exit the office, headed to the student parking lot on the west end of the school. We make it to his car and I slip into the passenger's seat. It isn't until we are both seatbelted in and he has begun backing up that I ask him.

"I just told you I didn't want to go home. What are you so set on taking me back to the house for?"

He looks at my wrists and the cuts from last night suddenly burn with the intensity of a raging campfire. He tries to meet my gaze, but I look away.

"I'm not taking you home until school is over. We're gonna go for a drive so you can rest." His eyes focus on the road like a good driver and I lay my head against the window.

"Where are we driving to?" It comes out in a tired mumble, but I hope he can hear me.

"To see Boss."

I close my eyes, intending just to rest them, but the soft movement of the car and the fact I haven't gotten any sleep in the past two days catches up with me and in moments, I am asleep.