Silent Night

Chapter 1

Taylor

People walk by me in the street and they don't look twice, i am nothing stunning and i am sure as hell nothing special. Walking by me in the street you could never tell what i was hiding, never tell that i am scared to go home and that is the reason i am pacing the streets. I have learned to be good at hiding these things, so good that no one has ever found out. But she changed me, she broke me.

My alarm pierces the air and i sigh rolling over on to my side, i stare at my small alarm clock and just glare. Why is it necessary to get up before 12, why can't school start at 1:00 or something. It is proven that teens need their sleep and proven that i need my sleep or the teachers are gonna pay for it. I push back my internal complaints and roll out of bed landing on my stomach on the cold wooden floor. Fuck!!! I groan and try to get my breath back, my ribs ache as though there is a knife stuck through them. I gently pull my singlet up to stare at my black and purple abdomen, i sigh and stand carefully so i wouldn't cause any further damage. The floor is cold and the air icy as i limp into the bathroom, it was a simple black tiled en-suit bathroom with a bath, shower, toilet, sink and a few draws. From one of the draws i pull out a fairly wide bandage and some medical tape. This bathroom is always stocked full of bandages, band-aids, steri stripes and gauze. It has to be, i can't keep it in my parents bathroom because my dad wouldn't allow me access.

I pull up my black singlet again and wrap the bandage around my torso tightly, i suck in air quickly in pain and then exhale when i finish. My dads work had been covered up and effectively disappeared, no one had found out before and i saw no reason for anyone to ever find out. I make my way to my dresser and pull out my disgusting school uniform, a white polo shirt with the school logo on the left side, black shorts and a spray jacket. My hair is short and brown with blonde highlights, a little gel and two minutes of styling and it is in it' s usual style. I dread going down stairs but i know i have to, my phone buzz's and i leap over my bed to reach it forgetting about my ribs, after a few stern curses i see that it is Trish. My best friend Trisha Sray, wanna be lesbian and total dork. She is as straight as a pencil but ever since i came out she thinks she has something to prove to me. Don't get me wrong she is pretty good looking but i have one and only one rule for life. Never fall in love with a straight girl.

Anyway Trish had sent me a text to meet her in the tool shed behind the library, it is our usual hangout spot and we have never been caught. I send her a quick 'sure' and a smiley face before grabbing my wallet and tucking it in my back pocket along with my phone. The stairs creak under my weight as i head down to the kitchen. The TV was already on and i could hear the horse races booming through the speakers along with my fathers grunts and furious remarks. I skirt around the lounge trying not to disturb him and walk straight into the kitchen.  My mother stands in front of the toaster and then lays two pieces of toast on a plate in front of me along with a glass of apple juice. I quickly scoff down my toast and then skull my juice trying to get out of the house as soon as possible. When i finished i was about to head out, but my dad stood in the door way with his arms crossed, a deadly and snark grin running across his face. My heartbeat increases in fear and i take a few steps back towards my mum. She stands in front of me protectively

"Not today please Jason, she has school"

My dad scoffs and then slaps my mum out of the way, she goes tumbling to the ground and thumps on the tiles. I look towards my dad and almost snarl he just grins and steps towards me, i take three steps back in attempt to escape but he leaps forward grabbing my hair. His face turns from smug to furious as he slaps me, a sharp pain flares up in my jaw and i whimper. Jason just continues to slap my face with escalating force. I know better then to fight back so i just let him express his anger hoping that the evidence of the beating is not too visible. When he is satisfied he drops me on the floor and goes back into the living room, i glance at my mum and she just gestures towards the door. I stand and sprint out trying to hold back the tears, i could feel a thin trickle of blood running from the corner of my mouth so i wipe it away with the sleeve of my shirt. I only stop running when i reach a public toilet block, i quickly jog inside and check my face in the mirror. Shit. The bruises were already forming and they were scattered around the left side of my face. Thank god the swelling was only minor and not too much blood, i splash some cold water on my face and wince slightly. When i was happy that i didn't look totally awful i tug down my fringe a little and walk out, head held high.

The walk to the bus stop took longer than usual due to my little detour and i was not used to the extra mileage because my dad never beat me in the mornings. Before you think he does that out of his good heart think again, he doesn't want people to see the fresh beatings and put two and two together. I guess this morning he really didn't give a flying fuck. When i reached the bus stop there was only one other person there and they had their hood over their head. Not exactly a social display, thank god one less person to make small talk with. I sat next to the person and leaned back against the cold hard metal seat sighing. The person or should i say she turned to me out of curiosity and frowned at the sight of me. Honestly she was fucking hot but my mum wouldn't agree with my language so i will settle with amazingly beautiful. She had stunning blue eyes that i just drowned in, not sky blue but more like a smokey blue if that makes sense, it gave her face mystery. Her jawline was sharp and defined but set like she was angry almost. She had short very dark brown hair which she had slicked back from what i could see considering her hood was still up and a dark intense look about her. She pointed towards my face and frowned further

"That's looks nasty, you should probably ice it"

I nodded still to amazed to answer like a normal person. I noticed she was wearing the school uniform and was immediately intrigued considering i had never seen her before. So i pointed towards the logo

"First day at Bay-view???"

She nods. I hold out my hand for her to shake

"Taylor, Taylor Reece"

She smiles and almost laughs

"Okay Taylor, Taylor Reece, my name is Ruby, Ruby Rose"

I giggle and then immediately stop and shun myself, i don't giggle. Ruby stares at me and smiles, it takes my breath away at how she can look so amazing without trying. It also amazes me that this girl is so fucking hot that she even turns me into a blithering mess. Ruby lets go of my hand as the bus pulls up and boards it remembering to hold the door for me. She sits in the front but i go sit in the back, you may say this is creepy but i find myself not taking my eyes off her for the whole ride to school. Eventually we arrive and i loose Ruby in the crowd of students, but at that point in time my mind is focused else where. I stare up towards the over-hanging sign above the gate that says 'Welcome to Bayview High School'. I just sigh and walk in to the gates of hell.