The Rock Show--m.g.clifford

3.Shut Up

"Kid!" The girl is screamed for through the house. The little house sat on a back road off the Southern California Speedway. The house was surrounded by tall trees and grass with no neighbors anywhere. The girl looks up from the book she was hunched over.

"What?" She screams back.

"Get your ass down here now!" She hears her mother and father yell back in unison. She gets up and lets out a long groan before leaving her room and walking down the rickety old stairs.

"What do you want." She mutters to them, refusing to look up and make eye contact.

"How was the concert?" Her dad asks her sarcastically. Immediately she looks up.

"Excuse me?" She says.

"Yeah, we know about your little outing." Her mom crosses her arms and stares at the girl who was quivering a little now.

"You're not leaving this house again." Her father growls.

"Shut up. You can't keep me here. Fuck you both." She screams in their faces, her father's only response is to beat the poor girl senseless and throw her into her bedroom.

-Four Hours Later-

The girl wakes up delirious with her left cheek pressed against the cold wood floor. Her eyes blur and struggle to come into focus. She cant help but moan softly as she pulls herself up from the floor. The night is still and quite as it had unfolded around her as she laid on the ground. Not a sound but the soft snores of her parents are heard from down the hall.

"I have to leave." She whispers to herself. Despite her pain and the bloody bruises all up and down her legs, she grabs a bag and begins filling it with the things she may need. Money, a sweater, a change of clothes, her music, and her book. She shoves a packet of cigarettes into her back pocket before leaving the house she had grown up in. She prayed she would never have to go back.

The girl walked and walked. She walked along the highway with her only light being the passing headlights. She had no idea how long she had been going along. Sleep wanted so desperately to over take her already weak body. Eventually the girl came across a gas station along the high way. Stumbling into the store she grabbed a lighter off the counter and handed it to the cashier to be bought. Thankfully she had enough cash.

She stepped outside the store and sat down on a bench, lighting up her cigarette she brought it to her lips, breathed in the thick smoke, and rested the burning fag between her fingers on her knee.

"So." She hears above her. She glances up from her gaze on the concrete to meet the boy's green eyes she found so appealing.

"So." She responds, trying to keep her cool. All at once she had lost all her fire and passion and was fading fast.

"I thought we were going to meet at my next concert." He says, sitting down beside her.

"I said maybe Clifford. But I did say we would see each other again."

"And here we are."

"And here we are." She repeats after him.

"Well, I'm not leaving you here in the middle of the night at a shady ass gas station just waiting to get picked up, raped, and murdered. And don't tell me you're just out for some cigarettes because I've been where you are now and the bruises your trying to hide are showing pretty girl." He sighs and looks over at her. Her blond hair is falling down in front of her face.

"Where are you gonna take me?" She whispers.

"I'm gonna take you to my house in L.A. There's plenty of room and my friends won't mind. You'll like it. Trust me." She glances over to catch a small smile resting on the boys soft pink lips. She hesitates, smoke caught in her tight throat.

"Okay." She says, getting up and swinging her bag over her shoulder.

The ride to Michael, Luke, Calum, and Ashton's house was quiet. They pulled up the driveway and Michael showed the girl inside.

"This is where you can stay." He points her into the guest bedroom.

"Thanks." She mumbles.

"Do you need something to sleep in?" He asks her, leaning on the door frame. She turns around and looks at him and nods. He leaves for a moment, going into his room and finding some sweats a tee-shirt and a sweatshirt.

"Here ya go. Sleep well." He smiles and shuts the door to her room. She latches it and makes her way over to the bed where she takes off her soiled and bloodied clothes and exchanges them for the soft cotton fabric of Michael's clothes. The lingering smell of axe hangs on them. The girl crawls into the large bed and pulls the covers up to her chin, shutting her eyes and instantly falling asleep.

"Wake up!" Michael is shaking the girls shoulders slightly and jiggling her awake. Her eyes shoot open to see the boy peering down at her.

"I'm sorry. I was crying wasn't I." She sits up and wipes away some fallen tears off of her cheeks. The nightmares were always getting the upper hand.

"I heard you crying since my room is right next door. I got worried so I came and you were crying. I'll leave you alone now." He says softly, getting up and going towards the door to leave but the girl calls after him.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we have just met... and you don't know anything about me but.... could you stay with me?" She dares not glance up at him for fear he would shake his head and leave her there, abandoned to her dreams.

"Sure." He says softly. Awkwardly he climbs into the bed next to her. He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her closer to him.

"Thank you." She whispers against the pillow.

"I have a question, pretty girl." He whispers back.

"What's up." She sighs, sleepily.

"What's your name?"

"Miranda Eve Laurel."