If You Knew Me (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 4- If You Knew My Pain

Quince's POV

As I walked through the park I thought about the kiss. I couldn't believe I was saying this but truth be told I liked it. Like I said about my father, through all the crap I've gone through I won't forgive you in a heartbeat.

Besides, I liked someone else. His name was Ace Jackson. He was new at school and he was a bad ass. He wore punk clothing and was so outgoing. I knew he wouldn't like me, but a pathetic girl like me can dream.

I stopped thinking about that. It was such a stupid subject. I started walking home cause I had nowhere else to go. As I made it to my street I could see ambulance sirens. I started running and in the front of my house I saw 2 police cars, an ambulance and a firebrick spraying the house.

"Sir," I asked the officer "This is my house, what happened?"

"Well young lady, your father was cooking dinner and started drinking a bottle of whiskey and became so drunk he didn't turn off the stove and the house caught on fire."

"What's gonna happen to him?"

"Well he was badly burned and he inhaled much smoke so he might not make it. His chance's are slim...---

"Quince."

"Quince. If he doesn't make it you will be sent to an orphanage. If he does you will be removed from this household for safety measures. Do you have any siblings?"

I thought about Frank and Ginger but knew better. If they took me in I'd just be stuck in a drug house and they might make me smoke it. I don't want to turn out like them.

"No sir. I'm an only child." I lied.

"Ok then, come with me and I'll take you to the orphanage. We should get you settled in. We managed to salvage these 3 things."

He handed me my MP3 player, a picture of my mom, and the locket my mother gave me when I was 11 a year before she died.

He led me to his car and I got into the front. I'm not sitting in the back like some criminal. As we drive off I saw most of the kids from school staring at me in the car. They were whispering and pointing. No different from school.

I put my head down so no one could see my face. They had no idea what it was like to be. They were all laughing at school and making fun of me but they don't know my pain. Sometimes I feel like I deserve it all but sometimes I don't , and it hurts but they don't know what it feels like. They don't know my pain

We approached the orphanage and the officer let me out. It was a tall building about 4 stories high and was made out of beige bricks. There were lots of trees and I could her children inside laughing.

The officer escorted me inside and I looked around.

"Why hello Officer Harrison! What do we have here." She acknowledged me.

"Her home was unstable so we removed her from the household and she will be living here until she can get adopted."

She was a chubby lady and she looked like she loved what she did. I liked her from the moment I saw her.

"Well we always love new faces around here. Come in sweetie. Don't want you to catch a cold." And she beckoned me inside.

The officer slipped a business card in my hand and gently pushed towards the lady.

"Just in case you get into any trouble, call that number." I nodded and walked inside.

The start of a new life begins. I shut the door and breathed it all in.