Rebel Love

Prolouge: Alecia

Thats it.

I'm done.

I am leaving this hell of a family.

Dad's screaming with the cops again, and I can't deal with this bullshit. I won't let CPS take me. I can't.

I pack my bags and crawl onto my roof. I jump across to the next roof and knock on the first window I saw.

"Come on Xavier... don't be a bitch and open the window..." I whisper to myself.

He cracks the window open, starring at me and my tear flushed face.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, letting me climb through the window.
"They came back... and that bastard isn't helping the situation..." I say, trying not to create a stir of fuss.

He pauses for a second, taking my bag from me and setting it down. "You're staying here from now on whenever this shit happens. I don't care." he said coldly, not caring about the possibility that my father, the source of my torment, could hunt me down and find me whenever he pleased.

That old drunk... could never put down the pills or the bottles... I can't blame him though.

Ever since mom died... he was a wreck. I still remember how she looked that night. Blood pouring out of her chest, her lifeless body on the floor. I still remember screaming for her and begging her to wake up. I still remember how I struggled against my fathers grip, and him dragging me away from her. I remember the gun, with a red star on it and the guy running off.

I never want to her those kinds of screams again.

"Xavier it's fine, really. I just have to hide in the attic for an hour and everything will be-" I stop when i meet his gaze.
"You think I'm going to let you go back to the fucking hell hole?" he asks sternly. His green eyes drilling into my soul.
"It doesn't matter what you let me do. I can't stay here. And your mom doesn't even know I'm here." I respond calmly.
"She would let you stay here if it meant you not getting hurt." He says, still glaring at me
"She doesn't get to decide that." I snap back.
"It's better then him berating you over nothing!"
"It's better if you shut the fuck up!! You shouldn't care!!"

He falls silent as I turn around to the window. He gently grabs my wrist and asks me, "Please... I don't want you getting hurt..."

I sigh and nod, closing the window and sitting down onto his bed. I unpack my bag and lay down as Xavier goes downstairs to get me some food and drinks. He comes back up with a gallon Coke bottle and sits down next to me, handing me a slice of Pizza.
"That old bastard..." I say, taking a bite. He nods and turns on the TV he has in his room.

Xavier has been my best friend since I was a toddler. We would spend weekends at the playground, chasing and chatting. We would spend every night after school in our treehouse, messing around like there was not a care in the world. He would take care of me when things got bad at home, or when I was flunking my classes, whenever I needed someone, he was there.

I hugged him tightly, my hands gripping onto the back of his shirt, as if I was about to fall off of a cliff, if he needed to be held together from crumbling into ashes.

"Whats wrong?" He asks, looking at me worriedly.

"I think I might take you up on your offer to stay..." I giggle softly, resting my head on his chest.

We're just two 13-year-olds trying to get through this wretched world. But I know I have a reason to be here, to thrive. I have a purpose, and it may not be obvious now, but it sure as hell will come into light later in life.

He held me as is I could fall apart at any second, his warm embrace comforting me. He took care of me like I was more than his friend, like I was the only person he had left, although we both know that wouldn't be true.

I'm alerted by my brain to stop thinking like that by the ding of my phone. I pick it up seeing a text message from my dad. It reads, "Might want to hurry the fuck up. We need to leave."

I stare at the screen confused, furiously typing out the words, "What?! Why?!"

"Because CPS will come back, and we both don't want that right?"

I roll my eyes. "Since when have you cared about my well being?"

"Stfu and get your ass home so you can pack."

I throw my phone onto my backpack, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. When I open them I see Xavier looking at me worriedly.

"What did that jackass say?" He asks behind a piercing look in his dark eyes.

"He's finally gone mad... we're leaving..." I respond, holding back tears.

Xavier just sat their, somewhat debating how to react. I could visibly see hurt but who knows what he would say. Was he just sad? Was he mad? No, he was all three.

Xavier wraps his arms around me, as he whispers in my ear, "It's okay... we nothing knew this would happen eventually..."

I look away, numb. He was right. We knew that this would happen, it just came to soon. All I could do, though, was sit and try not to sob.

"Let it out Alice..." he said.
As I sat there and cried in his arms, I remember how I got that nickname.

We were three years old, and our mothers had just introduced us. Xavier was always a short term memory kind of person, which made it easily to forget my name. Over time he tried to remember my name, but every time he would call me "Alice". I thought it was funny, but I guess "Alice" is easier for a toddler to say than "Alecia".

That night we sat and talked for hours, not wanting anything in this world to end, because we knew that eventually it would. Why not spend every second of it enjoying the things you love, and blocking out the things you hate? Why not have atrocious karaoke nights or rant about stupid movies you watched?

I'd be lying if I said I said that I wanted it to end.