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I sat on my bed with my knees pulled up to my chest, listening to my parents yell at each other from the other room. They did this almost every day since I was little. I hated it. I hated the constant bickering and shouting.
Sometimes I would hear harsh slaps or things being thrown. My parents didn't love each other and I knew that. It was obvious. Sometimes the fighting got so bad it made me cry alone in my room.
But I had someone who always came to my rescue. JJ Maybank. My best friend since second grade. He was the only person who knew about my home life. He comforted me whenever I was at my lowest and he came over when my parents were fighting. He would hug me and rub my back, telling me it's okay before getting me out of the house and taking me somewhere else. He comforted me like no other had before and he knew what I was going through.
He had a bad home life too. However, his was much worse. He was assaulted by his father ever since his mother left when he was five but every time I would find him with cuts and bruises littering his face he would always say it's nothing or it didn't matter but I knew he was broken and he didn't want to show it.
I was sixteen but I couldn't help but cry at the sound of yelling and things smashing. Every bang, every loud scream made me flinch but I couldn't help it.
Suddenly, the sound of my window opening made me jump. I looked over to a tall figure entering my room. I immediately recognize who it was.
I wiped my tears to try and play it off as JJ walked over to my bedside. It was dark so I hoped he wouldn't be able to see me crying.
"They fighting again?" He asked, looking at my door before sitting on the edge of my bed just a couple of feet away.
I nodded and he must have noticed the few tears, falling off my face cause he reached over and pulled me into his side so he could wipe the wet droplets off my face. I smiled up at him but the corners of my mouth immediately dropped at the sight of his face.
"Your dad?" I motioned to the bruises on his face and his busted lip that I could barely see in the dark.
"How'd you know?" He chuckled. He always tried to lighten the mood even when both of us were at our lowest. "C'mon let's get out of here, princess"
He held out his hand and I took it then He led me over to my window and helped me out and onto the ground. We walked across my yard and got into the van which belong to one of his friends but he 'borrowed' it a lot.
Once I was seated inside the old beat-up vehicle, I sighed as I rested my head against the seat. Oh, how thankful I was for JJ. He was always there to save me from my parents.
