You're Not Alone

Met a Girl at 17...

(Jen's POV)

I was alone with Vic in a park. Everyone else had gone to a bar. Surprisingly, he didn't tag along.

We were sitting at a picnic table, making small talk.

"Hey, Jen?" He said after a while.

I looked him in the eyes, letting him know I was listening.

"Have you ever thought about doing it again? I mean...cutting?" He said in a low voice.

"My last cut was the day I ran away. Since I've been with you guys, I haven't never thought about it since." I said, with a slight smile.

He grinned at me and nodded.

"Good."

I was about to change the subject, when I felt something hit my calf. I looked up, and saw a boy about my age running to me. I looked down at my foot and saw a soccer ball. Who would be playing soccer in this weather?

"Sorry about that." He said with a smile, his deep blue eyes locking with mine.

I bent down and picked up the ball. I extended it to him, and our fingers brushed against each other.

"Do you wanna play with us?" He offered. I nodded, even though I didn't have the first clue about how to play. I figured I could just stand on the field and take up space.

I was suddenly, very grateful that the guys took me out the day before to buy new clothes. I was even glad that I bought some makeup.

I looked over at Vic, waiting for him to give me an okay. He nodded and winked.

"My name is Sam, by the way." He said, reaching his hand out.

"Jen." I said shaking his hand, as butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

After a few minutes, I got the hang of the game. In fact, we were beating the crap out of the other team (which included Sam) thanks to me. I'd even scored a few goals, which brought the occasional cheer from Vic and the others, who had showed up to watch about halfway through the game.

I was about to get control of the ball, when I felt myself being lifted of the ground. I whipped my head around, and saw Sam lifting me bridal style.

"At least this way we have a chance at winning." He laughed.

"Put me down, you idiot!" I screamed, while laughing my head off. He just shook his head and held me tighter.

"You weigh almost nothing, you know?" He joked. I felt my face grow hot.

Sam's plan worked. The other team scored instead. I groaned as he set me back down, gently.

"Not fair!" Benny, another guy on my team, yelled at Sam.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game!" He yelled back, flexing his toned biceps. I giggled, and he poked my sides, which caused more laughter.

"You've got a real cute laugh." He said smiling at me. I stared at the ground and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear.

I glanced up at him, and returned a goofy smile.

"You wanna go out sometime?" He asked.

I was just about to agree, when I remembered something that made my heart tumble.

Today was our last day in Denver. We would be leaving for Aspen in the morning.

I explained the situation to Sam. His face fell, and he ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

"I'm sorry." I said, disappointment taking over my voice.

He leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Me too." And with that, he walked away.

I turned around to the guys, looking shocked. I made my way over to them, feeling somewhat ashamed.

"Get some!" Jaime yelled, trying to lighten the mood. I playfully punched him in the arm.

"It's a shame that we're leaving. That guy seemed to really like you." Aaron said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Thanks for captioning my nightmare." I replied while flashing a smile, which he gladly returned.

I turned to look at Austin, who was strangely quiet through all of this.

"Jen," he began, "There's something I need to tell you."

-------------------------------------------

(Austin's POV)

"Jen," I started to say, "there's something I need to tell you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, attempting to piece the words together.

"I called social services earlier and explained the situation. The woman on the phone told me that your mother has to consent to you staying with us."

She stared at me, a mixture of hurt and shock on her face.

"Unless you testify against her, we either have to send you to foster care or give you back to her." I finished, struggling to hold back tears.

Jen, wasn't very good at holding back hers. Soon, the teardrops were cutting paths into the dirt on her face. I didn't know how to comfort her. No amount of hugs or sweet words could convince her that she would be okay, and everything would work out.

"We're gonna fight for you, baby girl. But you need to tell them everything that happened and everything that she did. Can you do that for me?" I asked softly.

She nodded quickly. I knew how much her past hurt her, but it wouldn't hurt as much as living in a foster home or going back with her devil mother.

"Come on guys, bring it in!" Alan said, extending his arms and attempting to ease all of us.

We all pulled the tiny girl into a huge, tight hug. She giggled through her tears.

"Sexicans, we love you, but you don't get to keep Jen if this works out." Tino said, his voice muffled by the huddle of bodies.

Jen gave a small laugh, still attempting to cope with the situation.

I bent down and kissed Jen on the crown of her head, and Alan tickled her gently. Her smile contrasted with the mascara tears streaming down her face.

I felt so bad for this girl. She'd been through so much, and she didn't deserve any of it.

"So, what do I have to do?" She asked, after we all pulled away from the hug.

"Well, I need to set up a meeting for you with someone at social services. You need to tell whoever you meet with, what happened to you. Every detail counts. And we'll see what happens from there." I answered.

She nodded, taking everything in.

I looked down at the sweetest girl I'd ever met, in tears. But she wasn't just a sweet girl, she was a fighter. And now, it was our turn to fight for her.

Title creds go to If You Can't Hang by SWS. I kept singing the lyrics in my head as I wrote the part where she met Sam. So I figured, why not make it the title? Let me know if you guys like the song lyric titles!

-Gracie