Unbroken.

Chapter 3: Streetrat

   I opened the passanger door for her and we headed home. The silence was deafening and the tension clawed at our heads as Tyler drove us home. I looked out the window thoughtfully. The voices of the kids and the pain of losing her feathers surges through her mind, creating a whirlwind of thoughts.

    'Freak! '
   
   ' Why are you even at this school? You're nothing! '
  
      ' You shouldnt be hanging out with pretty girls that will make you stand out too much! Creep! '
    
   ' She yelps, but, she's not even a dog! She's not anything! Nothing but a loser!! '
     
   ' Its good she does extra workouts because she's winged and pawed. She's so ugly!!'

     I buried my head in the crook if my elbow and waited to get home. I just wanna go home. I just wanna see Ian.

    __________________________

   When they arrived home, Nicole bolted out of the car, and straight into the house. I looked at the others with a worried expression and bolted after her, my wings carrying my the other half of the way. She ran upstairs leaving me to meet the confused expressions on everyone's faces.

   " School was cool." I say, and rush upstairs. Karla can handle this.

   I hear her bedroom door slam and the turning of the lock. I sigh. I know there is no point in asking to talk with her or for her to come out of her room. I put my back firmly against the wall, sliding down.

     I cover my legs up with my wings, engurlfing me in darkness, the only light coming from the patches of missing feathers, letting the sunlight from an open window in.

   I bring my knees up and bury my head in my arms. Footsteps slowly approach me.

    " Hey. What's the matter? " Adam asks.

    " Adam, If you had to tell someone something very very important to someone very very special, but it could hurt them, would you tell them if it meant you could be alright?" I ask, lifting my head up.

    He looks at me. " Well, I- I guess I wouldn't tell them, since it could hurt them. I don't like seeing my family sad. Speaking of which, what is wrong with Nicole? "

    " School girl drama, I guess. " I lie. It's more than that. Way. More.

   He pats my head. " When do you think she will be better? "

   I shrug. " Few days or so."

   He nods and walks to his room. I listen to what Nicole is doing. Just listening to a song I know too well.

    I wish I was special. But I'm a creep. I'm a wierdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here.

    I close my eyes and cover myself up with my wings again. Ten minutes later, I hear another set of footsteps coming towords me again. I look up and curl my wings behind me. Ian.

   He smiles at me. I smile softly back. He slides down the door and scoots closer to me, his knees up. Tears brim at my eyes, and I bute the inside of my cheek to keep them from spilling.

   He looks at me and I lose it. The dam in my eyes break, leaving me to let them spill overboard. He pulls me closer to him and rests my head on his shoulder, telling me everything is going to be okay. Everything will be alright.

   " She's so sad... so sad.... and I didn't know, Ian." I say.

    " It's okay, baby. I got you. You didn't know, and that's okay. Now you know and you can help. We can get her to delete her twitter and no one will bully her there anymore. Then, we can fight off those bullies. It will be okay, I promise." he whispers.

   I bury myself into him, and wrap my wings around the both of us. He doesn't know how much they all mean to me. This family I have took me in from the streets. I was hungry, I was tired and scared, and sad and hurt. I was cold.

  And they found me. Nicole, found me. On a rainy, stormy night. I remeber it all.

   (Dreamy dream)

  The thunder cracked and growled, sending shivers down Glitch's back. The two sweaters and baggy cargo pants she smuggled from the army when she was cast out does nothing to keep the rain from drenching her to the bones. Her missing ear can't detect sound, making her right ear wjich can even more painful. The torn tendon in her leg and black eye does nothing but add more to her misurey.

  She brings her knees up and rubs her arms, trying to keep warm. Her broken and torn wings look like something from one of those cheesy drawing people make, where there are hardly any feathers on one wing, and the other one is broken and torn and bleeding.

   " HEY! GET OFF OF MY TURF STREET RAT!" yells a drunk man with a gun.

   Glitch quickly gets up and runs, as fast as her beat up legs will take her. She's been living like this for months now, but this night is the worst.

   She runs out of the alley, looking back a bit as she runs. When she stops, she doesn't realize she is in the road until two bright lights shine directly in her eyes.

   She stops in the middle of the road, blinded by the light. Her wings out, and then... BAM!!

  She skids accross the rough road, bumoing her head roughly on a parked car and peices of glass. Her wings bend underneath her and behind her awkwardly, and her working ear bleeds on impact, while one of her legs are bending and bleeding awkwardly, her hip most likely dislocated.

   She opens her eyes slightly, looking for the one who hit her. A silhouette stands over her, and they crouch down slightly to look at her eyes. She lifts her head up slightly to say something, and the last thing she sees is a pretty girl with brown hair and red and yellow hightlights with pretty blue eyes.

   Then her head falls limply and she blacks out.

      ___________________

  My eyes shoot open and sweat drenches my eyebrows. I look around, seeing that I am in the same hallway as I was when i fell asleep with Ian, who is sleeping right next to me with my head on his shoulder. I smile and kiss his cheek lightly. He stayed with me. He's always stayed with me.

   A Ian and the street rat. An unlikely love.