The Grabber

Preparation

Andrea couldn't sleep the previous night. Not after her dad was finished with her. She didn't go downstairs for dinner. Her father told her not to. If that wasn't enough reason for her to stay in her room, the pain from the beatings were.
She winced as she turned to the window to see the sun starting to come up. Normally, she would think this moment is beautiful. She would want to take in every second. This morning, however, was different. Andrea didn't see beauty. She saw temporary relief. While school wasn't the best place to seek refuge, it was all she had. It was the only reason why she liked school. In moments like this, it gave her a place to stay, even if it wasn't the safest. Bullies would still beat other kids. They used to beat Andrea. When she finally stood up for herself and fought back, they decided to leave her alone. She wished she was strong enough to stand up to her father.
"God," she whimpered as she slowly sat up. Tears that hadn't fallen from her eyes during the night fell from her eyes. She didn't want to move. She was scared to make noise. Her parents were still asleep. She didn't want to wake them. Andrea sighed as she wiped any tears from her face. She would definitely need to clean up before school. She also knew she would never stay awake through the day. Not since she stayed awake all night. She didn't drink coffee, but she decided it may help. She noticed adults seemed to drink it every morning.
She finally worked up the courage and strength to stand from her bed and quietly walk towards the door. She quietly tried to walk down the hallway to the stairs. Once she made it down the stairs, she sighed a breath of relief. Now she didn't have to worry about creaky floor boards. She made her way into the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee. Luckily, she had watched her dad do this many times before. Since her family wouldn't be up for a few hours, she made herself a bowl of cereal as she waited for the coffee to brew. She also searched for the sugar so she could sweeten the coffee. She had seen her mother use a bit of sugar when she would drink it. No more than a teaspoon.
Once she had her breakfast and coffee ready, she took a seat at the table. She could see the sunlight peering over the town as it rose over the suburban homes. Andrea looked down at her cereal. She was hungry, but found it difficult to find her appetite. She felt almost undeserving of food. She watched as she stirred the cereal bits in the milk. She sighed as she let go of her spoon and leaned back, defeated, in her chair.

...

Andrea walked to school alone. Her brother stayed home. For some reason, their father wouldn't let him leave. Andrea watched the sidewalk pass under her feet as she walked towards the school. She had finally brought herself to eat the cereal and drink the coffee. She hoped it would keep her awake at least through school. Hopefully after school as well. She needed to meet with everyone today.
"Hey, An," her friend called as she met by Andrea's side.
"Hey," Andrea slightly smiled.
"You alright?" Her friend asked. "You seem off." Andrea nodded as she decided not to speak of yesterday's events.
"Yeah, just didn't get much sleep," she half lied. It was true she didn't sleep, but it wasn't the main reason she was feeling off. Rebecca nodded.
"I see. You do sound tired." She looked up towards the school. "I wish it was the weekend already."
"Me too," Andrea agreed. "At least we're almost done. We graduate this year." She smiled at the thought of being finished with school. She didn't have any plans for the future yet, but she didn't want to worry about it right now. She had more important things to worry about in the present.
"Sure do," Rebecca smiled. "And you turn eighteen here soon. A legal adult." Rebecca nudged her friend. Andrea chuckled.
"Yeah. I'm nowhere near ready." The two were quiet as they passed the baseball cage. Andrea looked over to it. It was empty, as usual. Al wasn't around either. Possibly too early. She didn't blame him. She definitely wouldn't be out this early if it wasn't for school.
"We still meeting there after school?" Rebecca asked as she noticed Andrea's attention towards it. She nodded.
"Yeah. You, me, Michael and James. Just to sum everything up and make sure everyone is on the same page." She took a deep breath. "Still can't believe I'm actually doing this. Seemed like yesterday it was just a random idea I had."
"Well, it's a dumb as fuck idea, but..." she looked at Andrea. "I trust you. You're tough. I just..." she sighed as she looked down. "Hope you know what you're getting yourself into." The two finally reached the school. Students were heading inside before classes started. Some stayed behind and talked with their friends or partners. Little did any of them know that Andrea had a plan that had the potential to change everything. Keep everyone safe. Whether it truly would or not, she didn't know. She could only hope.