Fire Girl

Tyler and Ryan

Anna's P.O.V.

When school got out I stormed out but Tyler and Ryan caught up to me. I scrambled but then Tyler's fist collided with my face. Shit, that hurt. I jumped up and glared at him.

"So I heard you dumped the little emo boy?" Ryan said. I tried to run away but Ryan held me by the waist so I couldn't escape. I clawed at his arm but he didn't budge.

"Leave me alone." I said. Tyler grabbed my hair and pulled me away from Ryan by it. I yelped in pain. Ryan punched me in the face and I heard a crack. Blood gushed from my nose and I swore under my breath.

"So does that mean you're free to sleep with whoever you want?" Tyler whispered in my ear and I pulled my hair from his fist. I kicked him where the sun don't shine and Ryan grabbed me. Tyler punched me in the face and stomach several times. I spat blood into Tyler's face and Ryan pushed me to the ground. I curled up into a ball by instinct. Tyler and Ryan kicked me over and over again. Why couldn't they just go away?

"Hey get away from her!" Some one shouted and tackled Ryan. Tyler grabbed me by the hair and put me in a head lock. I looked over and saw Zack beating the shit out of Ryan.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit a girl?" Jackie asked and pulled Tyler off of me. She punched him in the face and pulled Zack off of Ryan. Tyler and Ryan stared at us.

"Now little boys, best be running home or your mommies will worry." Jackie said and the two started running off. Jackie looked from me to Zack.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk." She said and walked away. I looked at Zack fuming.

"What the hell?!" I said. Zack looked shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the whole coming to my rescue! I don't need your help!"

"Because you so had it handled!"

"Yes I did!"

"I was just trying to help!"

"Well don't help! Just leave me alone and never talk to me again!"

"If this is what I get for helping, then fine I won't!" He said. I felt a stab in my heart and wanted to cry. But I held the tears back.

"Good!" I squealed at him and started to limp away.

"Anna?" Zack said.

"What?" I snapped.

"At least let me give you a ride home." Zack said. I kept limping.

"I've got my own." I said and walked away.

Zack's P.O.V.

Dammit. Why did she have to be so stubborn? But that was one of the things I loved most about her. I watched her get in her car and drive away. She looked like shit.

I stomped over to my car and got in. Jackie looked at me and sighed.

"She'll come around." Jackie said. I glared over at her.

"No, she won't." I said and started the car. We drove for home and I just thought of how much I wanted Anna back.

Anna's P.O.V.

I walked through the door and Sandy wasn't in the living room.

"Honey, how was school?" Sandy asked as I walked into the kitchen. She was distracted by something she was making for dinner.

"Fine, sorry if I'm late." I said and opened the fridge to prevent her seeing my face for just a little more time.

"I don't care. Did you talk to Zack?" She asked. I blinked back some tears.

"Yeah, that didn't go over very well. I don't think I'm going to see much of him, for a long time." I said.

"Oh well that's too bad, you guys were good together." She said. I shut the fridge and prayed she wouldn't look at me. She turned around and dropped the salad she had.

"Anna what happened?" She asked and grabbed a clean towel to clean some of the blood from my face. I shrugged.

"I ran into some boys from school." I said as if it didn't matter. The truth was it hurt to know that they hated me as much as I hated myself. Sandy began wiping the blood and dirt from my face. I winced and Sandy examined my nose.

"It doesn't look like it's broken." Sandy told me. I sighed.

"You should be fine in a few days." Sandy said.

"Now go change into some clean clothes and I'll tell Luke for you." Her smile was one of the few things that helped me think there was light at the end of the tunnel. I only ever saw the light when I was with Zack. But we were over. Even though he didn't cheat the doubt was there. I couldn't date him if I would always have a small fear that he was cheating.

I went to my room and changed into a Day to Remember shirt and looked at my jeans. They were fine. I spent the next half hour in my room blasting Set It Off. I sang along to Swan Song. Why couldn't Zack and I have worked out? I really did like him. But what was I supposed to do now? I'd already pushed him away. I'd already made my choice, there was no going back from here. Why did relationships have to be so hard? I always pushed people who cared away. First I pushed my brother away when he turned eighteen. He didn't have to live at that house anymore, so I felt like I wouldn't have anyone to protect me anymore. I'd pushed away our mother years before. I pushed away pretty much everyone at school who had ever wanted to be friends with me. Now I'd pushed away Zack. Who was next? Jackie? Luke and Sandy? Why did I have to push everyone away? I felt my heart start breaking even more.

I grabbed a pencil sharpener and took off the blade. I ran it across my skin and felt the warm relief known as my blood. I was falling right back into this. I couldn't climb out as easily as everyone thought I could. I was stuck and only one person could help me stop. But I had pushed him away. Alone and in the dark. That's how I've always been, I guess that's how I'll always be. I heard a car pull up and knew it was Luke. I quickly put a glove over my arm and prayed it wouldn't bleed through.

A minute after the front door opened and closed, Luke came in. He took one look at me and clenched his own fist. I couldn't help but tense and wait for his fist to hit me. Luke noticed and relaxed his hands. He'd lived there at one point too, so he knew what made me nervous. Luke came up and put his hands on either side of my face. He looked at me and I could see the anger flare up in his eyes and turn into fury.

"Who did this to you?" Luke demanded. I shrugged.

"Just some boys at school. It's no big deal." I said. Luke grip hardened.

"Of course it's a fucking big deal! Some shit head beat you! And after you just got out of the hospital. I will beat the living shit out of those fucking idiots!" I'd never seen Luke so angry before. The only other person I had seen so angry was Daddy. If Daddy was this angry I would hide. But I suck at hiding, Daddy always found me.

"Luke calm down. You're scaring Anna." Sandy said as she came in. Luke looked at me and his eyes softened just a little.

"Who were they?" Luke asked. He was so angry, I wasn't taking my chances at not telling him so I looked at my lap.

"Tyler Scott and Ryan Chelser." I said. Luke knew the names right away. He knew their older siblings. He was friends with their older siblings. Luke stomped out of the room and house. Sandy sat down next to me.

"He's barely ever gotten so angry before. I've only ever seen him get mad like that when I showed up at his house when we were just friends because the guy I was dating wanted more than I was willing to give him. I just didn't feel right with him. Well the guy just dumped me on the side of the road and I was walking for hours until I realized I was near here. Luke was so pissed I swore I saw steam come out of his ears. Let's just say when he found that guy, he didn't really just talk to him like he said he would." Sandy said and I brushed some of my tears away. Someone else knew what it was like to find someone who'd fight for you, even if you didn't ask them. But I'd pushed mine away.

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So will zack be able to win anna back or will she keep pushing him away?

What is luke going to do to tyler and ryan?

Bye bye my little ghouls!