Every Rose Has Its Thorn- (PLATONIC) MADWHEELER

A Strange Sighting in a Stranger World

Dedicated to my (divorced) parents- my father, @IAmPapaRobin and my mother, TheRealMamaSteve

That same day...
She locked her door, slipped on her extra pair of Vans that were hidden in her room, and left through the window, leaving it open a crack. If Neil were to find out he would close it anyway, so it wouldn't make much difference.

She grabbed her skateboard from the front porch and kicked off down Cherry Lane. She knew they were moving to the trailer park off Kerley soon, which meant less space to ride, so she made it count by doing a few tricks here and there, all the while crying about her stepfather.

The teen, clad in leggings, a sweatshirt, and a loose braid, found herself on Maple Street not long after. She propped her board up on a tree and broke down, rocking back and forth crying into her knees.

She supposed if something happened, she could go to a nearby house and make up a story. But that wasn't exactly what happened.

A door creaked open, and a boy around 15 years old stepped out, upon hearing a noise outside his window. "Max?"

...

Bike Wheels- 1st person
We had gone to the arcade for one of the last times that afternoon- all together, that is. Max wasn't there, and I'll admit I was a little concerned. Don't get me wrong, I hated her at first. At this point, I had warmed up to her presence in the party, but I was still too stubborn to admit it.

We had Will radio in to see why she couldn't make it, and he said she just had some house work to do. That was all good and well, until I heard a noise from behind my house. It sounded like a sniffle, not like any animal I'd heard out there, so I investigated.

Slipping on my shoes, I stepped outside and saw a sight I had never thought I would see. "Max? What are you doing here?"

All I could tell was that she was crying. Her arms were hugging he knees to her chest, and her skateboard was laying forgotten to the side.

"Hey, are you alright?" At that, she turned around and I could see her face. He eves were red and puffy, and dark bags outlined her lower eyelids. That was the first time I realized how truly broken she was. She wasn't a perfect girl with a perfect life, she wasn't even remotely happy.

"Wh-why do you care?" she asked.

I sighed. "Max, I know we've never been on good terms, but you're a party member, and party members help each other out. Even if we didn't know each other, it's the right thing to do, anyways!"

She smiled and thanked me. She wouldn't tell me why she had come out here, other tha her parents were arguing and she needed a break, and ended up breaking down at some point. I believed her at first, and maybe that was part of it, but it definitely wasn't the full truth. You wanna know why?

Because those tears made visible a purple splotch on her cheek, going all the way down to her neck. I didn't tell her I knew; I didn't want to rush her into telling me. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to look into it.

...

563 words! A little more, I guess... But still, I promise it'll get better- and longer- soon.