Street Love

Chapter 1

Jenna's POV

"Jenna Hartford, get your ass front and center, now!" I hear my father scream up the stairs. Great he's home, now what? My anxiety starts to kick in and I feel the fear building up inside of me but I know better then to ignore his requests. I scurry down the stairs and stand in front of him. I know what's coming, it happens everyday but still I hope that today will be different. It's merely seconds before I feel an all too familiar stinging sensation in my left cheek and I'm on the ground. My immediate reaction is to run and hide but I know that will only make things worse in the end. I face my fate and get back to my position of standing silently in front of the fuming monster before me, has a no reason to hit me but yet he still does.

"You little shit! I work all day and come home to a dirty home and no dinner! What good are you?" My father roars in my ear. His voice is loud and shakes the house, testing my balance with my spinning head. I'm trying to pay attention to what he's says but everything is spinning and I'm starting to feel sick. I take a second to process what he had just said before, I look around and see nothing in the house that's even remotely out of place, I can't tell if theres dust collecting anywhere all thanks to the spinning. Gosh I'm so stupid! I did forget to make him dinner, no not again, he's gonna beat me senseless! How could I have forgotten, I'm so stupid.

My thoughts are quickly interrupted when a blow to the stomach sends me back to the floor. I can't breathe and start to panic. This is it, he's gonna kill me. I feel a strong pain to my ribs and hear a loud crack. Screaming, I try to regain my breathe and attempt to stand back up but I don't get far before he punches me again causing blood to pour out of my nose and the tears to flow freely from my eyes. I must be so pathetic , I think to myself, forgetting to make dinner then crying when I get hit. I should be used to this by now, it's not like this was new to me. I lay on the floor, horrible thoughts running through my head as the beating continues. I just wish I knew what I did to deserve this. I know I'm not the perfect daughter and I make mistakes but so does everyone else so why am I the only one that gets hurt for it.

By now there's blood all over the floor and feel like serval bones are broken. He got bad before but never bad enough to kill me but I starting to think tonight might be that time. It's been almost an hour of laying here while he kicks me and I've become completely numb to it. I feel the pressure of the kick but not the pain, as a matter of fact I feel no pain right now. My heads been hit a couple times and now I can't see straight but that's okay, I'll be fine.

Finally my dad is slowing down which means he's getting tired and is gonna go to bed. After a few more he stops and go to his room. I can't move and decide to just lay on the floor tell I pass out. If I wake up tomorrow, I'm leaving this place. I need to be some where else, any where else, just out of this god forsaken house. It doesn't take long before sleep washes over.

My head hurts and my vision is still a little off, I have bruises all across my stomach and legs, not to mention at least 4 broken ribs but I'm alive and that what counts so I manage to get myself to get up and look out the window. It's dark and no one seems to be awake in the house besides me.My mother must have come home at some point while I was out because her keys are on the counter and all the lights are off. I don't understand why she never helps me. I mean she comes home day after day to the child she gave birth to on the floor either crying or passed out in a pool of blood and she does nothing but kiss my abuser and go upstairs to watch TV.

I glance at the clock and see that it reads 2:45am. I slowly and carefully tiptoe up to my room and change into clean clothes. I put on several layers because I know how the nights can get cold and if I'm gonna run away I need to be prepared. From there I grab my school backpack and empty the contents on the floor, I'm not gonna be needing any of that for a while. I stuff some sweats, first aid kit, toiletries, and then head downstairs to get food and money. My parents have plenty of money and never notice when it's lower then normal. I have everything packed now so I go to the laundry room where my parents jackets are and take all their cash. I know better then to take checks or credit/debit cards because those can be tracked. And with that I leave, hopefully to never return.