Baby Independent (Bratayley version) // COMPLETED

6

Hayley

I turned around to see my mom right in front of me. I gulped. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me down the stairs.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" She screamed.

"I was doing homework at my friends house," I answered.

"YOU DONT HAVE ANY FRIENDS AND NEVER WILL!!!" She yelled as she scratched my face with her long, filthy nails.

"Mistake."

"Worthless."

"Piece of crap."

"Deserves to die."

She threw me on the hard, glass covered floor. She punched me in the shin and then kicked me in the same place. Then she muttered something and collapsed on the couch and snored. I picked myself up, and I noticed my shin was starting to swell, and it had bruised really quickly. I winced. It really hurt and stung to walk, so I limped to my room. I found my box of band aids and put three on my arms and two on my leg. My back was starting to hurt, so I lifted up my shirt and turned around in the mirror. There was a piece of glass in my back and the spot was bleeding. I carefully removed the glass, cleaned it, and put a band aid on it. Then I looked more closely at my leg. At my shin, it was all black and blue, and swelling and red. It really hurt, and then I remembered something. Way back when mom actually cared about me, she had sprained her ankle and had crutches. I crawled downstairs to the closet by the door. I saw the crutches, spider webs and all. I took them out and put them to my size, then left them there. I would return for them after packing. I had a reason to not return here, unless I needed food, until my leg was healed, so my crutches wouldn't make noise and wake mom up. Actually, I shouldn't even call her mom. She doesn't deserve it. From now on I'm calling her Veronica, her name. So, I went upstairs and packed clothes, school stuff, and other things in a backpack. I went downstairs and picked up my crutches and crutched to my fort. I set all my stuff down and went to sleep.

Annie

The next morning, Hayley was wearing my old pink sequin shirt with jeans and a pair of my Nikes. She also had crutches.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Oh, um, I fell down a hill and into a bush. And when I was climbing back up the hill, I tripped and hit my shin on a rock,"'Hayley said.

I'm pretty sure she's lying.

"Hay Hay, what really happened?" I questioned her.

"Umm, I can't tell you right here, right now. We can go to my place after school and I'll tell you my story," She said.

"Okay," I said.

We got on the bus, and we played crossy road together on my iPod, when Hayley said something.

(Right now it's Tuesday)

"My birthday is on Friday, but I don't know what I want. I won't get anything anyway. My aunt on my dad's side was the only person that ever cared about me. She would ship me gifts on Christmas and my birthday. But she died two years ago," She said.

"I can get you something," I said. Seen as she's not as fortunate as I am, I'll get her anything she could possibly want.

"Really?" She said.

"Yup! If you can't think of anything, then I'll make it a surprise!" I said.

"Okay!!!" She said with eyes full of excitement. I had never seen this side of Hayley before, and I knew I loved it.

———

After school, Hayley took me to a fort in the woods.

"I hope this isn't where you live," I said worriedly.

"Oh, no. I just like to be with nature sometimes, so I hang out here," she said.

"Good," I smiled.

We did some homework and talked about school. I had already left when I realized I had forgotten to ask her about her life.