Chapter 2
Ok. There are six thugs standing around me. I suppose I could scream or run. But no, that's not what I do. I punch one in the face and try to run. One of the six has my hands behind my back. They push me on the ground, they tie me up and put duct tape over my mouth. I try to wriggle free, but there's no escaping them. I'm not the prettiest girl in the world, but I'm cute. They put me in the trunk of their car. I start to cry, I'm not much of a cry baby but this is an exception. The tears seem to make the duct tape loosen and it seems that I can get it off. I manage to peel it off with my tounge and scream as loud as I can. I scream and scream and scream. The car stops and I listen, a car door opens. Then the trunk. I'm flung onto the street and my mouth is re-taped. The man who dragged me out kicks me in the ribs. I try to scream but the duct tape is great at keeping me quiet. He kicks me in the ribs again and stomps on my arm. I hear a snap.
"What do you think you're doing?" a voice asks behind me.
"Mind your own buisness," the thug yells back. I expect to get hit. I'm right. He hits me right in my face. I can feel the blood running from my nose and a black eye swelling.
"Hey! Quit it," the voice hollers. I can hear the anger creeping up in his voice. I hear a scream and see my friend Mike jump on the thug. Five more thugs get out of the car and try to attack Mike, but he only beats them up. He turns to me and kneels down.
"Are you ok?" he asks and peels off the duct tape.
"Thank you," I manage to mutter before I pass out. When I wake up, I realize that I'm in the hospital wrapped head to toe in casts and badages. My room is filled with flowers. Probably from my class at school.
"The doctor said you'll be as good as new," says my mother. I struggle to keep my eyes open, so I give up and sleep. When I wake up again, I'm in my room. There's a new painting by my mother. It's of me in the hospital. I have a black eye and broken ribs. My mom loves details. However, in this case, I think shes too precise. My black eye seems too real. I try to sit up and a sharp pain runs through my chest. There is a pair of crutches on the foot or my bed and I grab them. I get up. Then, I try to go down the stairs and fall.
"Clare! are you ok?" mom calles.
"Yeah, I'm ok!" I call back. I go in to the kitchen to find Mike sitting there with a worried look on his face. Mike is my childhood friend. We go way back. He looks at me, then sweeps me off my feet. Eventually puts me down, and I yelp.
"Sorry," Mike says, apologetically.
"Mike has been here for the last hour waiting for you to wake up," Explains mom.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." I say in a playful voice. This makes Mike laugh.
I wolf down a double helping of beef stew in about 5 minutes.
"You could have died, Clare." Mom and Mike say in perfect unison.
"Well then, you should be happy that I'm here. It wasn't my fault. They cornered me," I explain, sternly, in self defence.
"Clare, I want you to be more carful next time," gasps mom.
"Well sorry!"
I storm out of the house in a furious rage and head to the forest. I pick some berries and walk over to a little stream. I trip over a rock and lay with my face down in the mud. I lay there and cry. I have never gotten in a fight with my mom and mabye we won't know how to make up.
"Hey" a voice snaps me back too reality.
I still lay with my face down. "yes?" I ask.
"Are you ok?"
I can tell it's a boy now.
"Why does it matter?" I snap back.
"Well... I dont know. I just saw you fall and start to cry."
The boy seems to have been here for a while and the voice sounds quite familiar.
"Well if it makes you feel bettter, yes," I reply with a hint of sarcasm.
I turn over too see Jude. The one boy who I love.
