The Broken Girl and The Golden Boy

I'm Stuck with Him?!

Chapter 1: Piper

There was a loud banging noise down the hall that made me jump out of bed in a heartbeat. Damn it, Sadie must have woken him up. I scrambled down the hall as fast as I could.

He had her cornered in the kitchen. As he moved to slap her across the face, I leaped in front of her and took the brunt of the blow. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was contorted in rage. He'd been drinking... again.

After he got in a few more solid kicks and punches, he wandered off towards his bedroom. My sister breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn't dare relax until I heard his bedroom door slam shut. When it finally did, I let my shoulders untense and looked at where Sadie stood behind me. She was sobbing as quietly as she could into her hands.

"Shh... sweetie," I murmured, running my hands through her blonde hair, "Tell me what happened."

"I was getting my bag together for school," she whimpered, "And I dropped my water bottle on the floor. I left it alone, because I figured it would just stay where it was... but it didn't. It rolled into my wobbly nightstand and broke the light and the water glass. Then he came in and chased me into the kitchen... and... and..."

"I think I understand from there, Sadie," I smiled gently, ignoring the slight pain I felt in the right side of my face.

"I'm so, so sorry, Piper," she gulped, "I didn't mean to."

"It's fine," I waved her off, "Just finish getting ready and stay away from Father's room." Yeah, in case it wasn't obvious, that bastard who tried to beat my sister... he's my dad. Our dad.

Sadie nodded and ran out of the kitchen, quiet as a mouse - just like I taught her. I turned to the refridgerator and pantry and pulled out some ingredients to make our breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and oatmeal. Just as I was pouring two glasses of orange juice, Sadie returned: showered; dressed; and thankfully, unharmed. She sniffed the air and smiled, looking like the little girl I knew she was deep down.

I set her plate and drink in front of her and rushed off to my room. I showered in five minutes, dried off, and pulled on a pair of paint-splattered jeans and a dark blue baby doll tee. Then came the painstaking process of hiding the bruises. I layered on foundation and blush, trying to make it look as natural as possible.

Once I finished with that, Sadie was almost done wolfing down her breakfast. I grinned at the sight and ate my own plate of food. We brushed our teeth and I braided her wavy hair, leaving me just enough time to put my own identical hair up in a messy knot.

After that, we got in my ancient Camry and drove to the middle school the next town over. Just before I left, I kissed her forehead and whispered, "Don't worry, Sades, we'll get out of here soon." She held up one finger and smiled. I grinned back, thinking, One more year...

By the time I got to my own school, the warning bell was just ringing. Jumping out of my car, I slung my bag over my shoulders and plodded up the fancy steps of Carson Preparatory Academy. Yep, I went to one of those rich, snobby schools where poor people felt inferior just walking inside. Poor people being me.

I was at the school on an art scholarship and as long as I kept a B-average, I had a private studio to paint in and a top-notch art instructor. No way was I giving that up.

Since it was the first day of school, I figured I could take my time getting to class. So I ambled down the hall to my new locker. I dialed the combination I found on my schedule and put my art supplies inside. Those would have to wait until I was done with my lame-ass normal classes.

I walked into my Chemistry class just as the bell rang and plopped down at an empty lab table. The teacher just nodded at me casually, not bothered by my near-late arrival. I had a feeling I was going to like this class.