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Abuse
Aislinn can�t wait to turn 18. She can�t wait to get away from everything that surrounds her. At 5�6�, she hides her lean figure underneath baggy clothes. Her arms are laced with thick bruises that she doesn�t want to explain. She doesn�t think anyone could possibly begin to understand.
But Katie does.
Katie is only a few days older than Aislinn. However, their personalities are almost completely opposite. Where Aislinn is loud, wild, and energetic, Katie is shy, quiet, and keeps to herself. People call her Aislinn�s shadow.
The two girls have been best friends for as long as they can remember. For years, they were there for each other when they needed it most.
The neighborhood they live in is small, but comfortable. Everyone knows everyone else and life seems blissfully perfect.
That just goes to show how clueless some people can be.
When their neighbors look at Aislinn and Katie�s families, the smile and wish they could be as perfect.
What they don�t see is what goes on when the curtains are closed. Yelling, fighting, and a never-ending stream of tears.
But Aislinn has a plan. For years she�s worked for department stores, coffee shops, and diners. For her 18th birthday, she plans on giving herself a special gift.
An escape.
�It all starts tomorrow, are you ready?�
Katie frowned, looking at Aislinn as she dragged a comb through her short black hair. �You really are going to go through with this, aren�t you?�
Aislinn turned towards her and crossed her arms in front of her, leaning off to one side. Her famous: you�ve-got-to-be-kidding-me stance.
Katie just sighed and held up her hands in defeat. Aislinn turned back to the cracked bathroom mirror.
�You�re coming with me, right?�
Leaning back against the wall, she nodded to herself. �Of course I am.� She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. �I mean, where would I be if I didn�t have you?�
�Sitting at home, sprawled on the floor with your father spitting curses at you?� Aislinn�s voice became cold and sharp, rage lacing her words.
Wincing, Katie rubbed her upper arm, a new bruise already forming then mumbled, �Yea.� Unlike Aislinn, she couldn�t speak about it. She�d rather just forget about it completely.
Aislinn stuffed the comb into her messenger bag and sighed. �Let�s go. I�m starved.�
Katie followed Aislinn into the cafeteria. The scent of greasy food and a type of meat she didn�t wish to identify, hit her nose, causing it to twitch. The cafeteria was buzzing with people. No one looked up as they entered. Not surprising.
Katie felt a tug on her sleeve as Aislinn turned towards the food line. Reluctantly, she followed and stepped in line behind her. The line moved insanely slow, but the girls said nothing to each other. Katie felt a presence step up behind her and she risked a glance to see who.
Bright blue eyes met her brown ones. The girl who stood behind her had her arms crossed over her chest and a disgusted sneer on her face as she looked down her nose at Katie. �What are you looking at?� She asked icily. Katie started to answer but Aislinn suddenly stepped between them.
�Back off Marilyn. She�s never done anything to you.� Aislinn was the same height as Marilyn, so they met eye-to-eye. Bright blue eyes and dull grey.
Marilyn hesitated for a split second then regained her upper-class posture. �She�s an eye sore. You both are.� She spat before she spun around and stomped off, flocked by a small group of girls.
Aislinn glared after her. Turning around, she barely even glanced at Katie as she returned to her place in line.
It was a normal routine, what just happened. Aislinn was always stepping up to defend her. Katie never was good at sticking up for herself. So instead, they walked all over her.
Aislinn stepped up to the food counter and piled fries and a piece of pizza on her tray then slid it along the metal railing. The squeak of styrofoam against metal made Katie shudder.
Katie�s eyes scanned the food available, then filled her own tray with fries and lettuce for a salad. The pizza looked slimy and she couldn�t identify the other meat. She never understood how Aislinn could eat this stuff.
After paying for their food, they returned to the cafeteria and scanned it for an empty table. It didn�t surprise them when they found none. Aislinn muttered under her breath and headed for the courtyard.
The courtyard, more commonly known as �The Quad,� was located in the center of the school. It was surrounded by brick walls on all but one side, where it opened into the sports field.
It was a bleak day. That explained why the picnic tables outside were all deserted but one. The sky was full of heavy gray clouds and a chilling wind threatened to send their lunches flying from their hands. Aislinn dropped her tray onto one of the tables and sat. Katie joined her and began to pick at her food.
Looking around, Katie saw another group of people hudled under a giant blanket. They looked no warmer than she did.
As if on cue, an icy wind whipped around the girls and Katie shivered violently. Hoping for the warmth of her food, she bit into a couple of French fries. However, much to her dislike, they had already grown cold.
�I can�t believe she�d do that! You�d think she�d learn to grow up.� Aislinn suddenly burst out. A few heads turned in their direction but she ignored them. �You�d think she�d get tired of it by now.�
Katie concentrated on her food, as she waited for her friend�s rants to die away. Aislinn wouldn�t listen to her anyways.
�For years it�s been the same thing. It never changes. If I wasn�t worried about getting kicked out, I�d�� She trailed off and sighed deeply, hanging her head. Katie lifted her chin to look at her friend. She didn�t know what to say to make her feel better, so she didn�t say anything.
As quiet as she could, Katie eased open her bedroom window and dropped her backpack out of it. Distantly, she heard an argument start up and her heart rate tripled. Thick shoes stomped their way down the hall towards her bedroom door. Quickly, she grabbed her jacket, knocking over the chair it was thrown across, and vaulted out the window after her bag. As her feet found the groud, a light filled her room followed by a deep masculine voice.
Scooping up her bag, she darted across the lawn and through the neatly cut hedge. She heard her father lean out her window and yell her name. Katie didn�t dare look back.
A small park sat between her neighborhood and the bus station. Katie ducked into the shadows of the park to catch her breath.
She didn�t stop long. Within a few seconds, she took off again, quickly weaving herself through the various trees, shrubs, and playground equipment. Once or twice, a branch reached out and took a hold of her sleeve or pants. Impatient, she ripped them free and kept moving.
The park opened into the parking lot behind the bus station. Katie stumbled to a halt at the edge of the pavement. Panting, she tried to catch her breath as she walked towards the entrance.
Glancing around inside, she saw no sign of Aislinn. Fear eased its way into her mind, assuming the worse.
Katie jumped a foot in the air as someone grabbed her arm and started pulling her across the station. It took her a few moments before she recognized Aislinn on the other end.
�Stop dragging your feet, Kate! It�ll leave without us!�
Katie found herself stumbling up the stairs to a bus that lead who-knows-where. She briefly saw Aislinn shove two tickets into someone�s hand before they both collapsed in a seat near the back.
It wasn�t until they were seated that Katie noticed a fresh bruise forming on her friend�s cheek. One of them had a harder time getting away.
�Sorry I�m late.� Aislinn finally said after a while.
Staring down at her lap, Katie shook her head and muttered, �It�s alright. I got lucky.�
Aislinn let out a harsh laugh. �You always get lucky.�
Katie leaned her head against the window and watched the blacked out scenery pass them by. Aislinn was right. She always was. Aislinn always had it much harder than she did. But they were never the ones to compare bruises.
For the next three days, the two girls rode bus after bus until Aislinn was satisfied that they were far away from any reminder of what they left behind. She picked a small town that people rarely hear about. The two girls started a new life. A life without pain. A life without worry. A life that they had always dreamed of.
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