Ash-

I had school today, too. Friday.

I love Friday's. And Jackie hates them...

l knew that we'd never see our father again after the last court visit, which was tomorrow. Mom would have to be there. And after that, he wouldn't be able to be any part of our lives by court order.

He'd be sent to jail.

I was elated. The man who almost set me on fire, the man who grabbed a knife one week and cut my face open, the man who hit me and told me where I stood in the world.

It all started when I was five... I remember well.

Mom was beaten by him. They fought every day. And I knew deep down it was wrong.

He slapped her and punched her... He threw chairs and got so angry. Ryan was about three and Mom was pregnant with the twins, Callie and Mason...

He went up to her and immediately began yelling and punching and he had grabbed lighter fluid.

I yelled at him in a tiny voice, since when I was little my voice was scratchy, "Stop it! Stop hurting Mama!"

And he looked at me, eyes glistening with hatred, and he said, "Fine. I'll stop."

He sat the big thing of lighter fluid down and told Mom to go to their room. With Ryan.

And once they were gone, he made me go outside and poured lighter fluid all over me.

He grabbed a lighter.

But Mom was out there as fast as she could waddle, being very pregnant with the twins.

"NO!" She screamed. "DON'T YOU DO IT! IF YOU DO IT WE'RE DONE, RICHARD!"

And he set it down and punched her. He walked to the car and drove away. He was gone for a few days. Mom made me take a bath immediately.

Ryan is too small to remember.

That was the first time he'd ever hurt me. Or tried to.

After that, he focused on me.

All on me. Ryan bullied me, too, thinking it was okay.

He didn't know better.

I forgave him long ago.

Mom, too. She couldn't escape.

But she could've stopped having sex with him... Or did he-

...

Well maybe she couldn't...

Well, that's one more reason to hate him.

Mom had four more children. Honestly, I'm so glad we don't have to see him again. Gus keeps wanting to hit me... Ryan asked him to stop it. Ryan and Mason have both gotten slaps and Calliope's gotten punched. They know what it's like.

And they know that I know best.

Gus isn't old enough, I can't blame him. Iris doesn't even notice. She's so sweet...

I realized Jackie was staring at me... "Yes?"

"I was admiring your ability to ignore the reason why I hate Fridays. Whatever..."

And she walked off in a huff... Something is wrong... Why does she hate Fridays? Well, I'mma go find out!

And with that going through my head, I went off to find her.

I found her crying in the bathroom.

Since there are a lot of transgenders in this school, the bathrooms aren't labelled with genders and have both urinals and stalls. The people here in Cerulean are not homophobic, like at Viridian...

Whatever. She was crying...

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing... I'm fine."

And she smiled, pitch perfect, no trace of sadness or anger on her face. But I could see it. I could see it in her eyes.

Those beautiful Tumblr eyes. I love Tumblr...

Hell, I love her...

What? I never said that...

She broke down crying again, just as the bell rang. I decided to stay with her and to say we went off campus, since you could do that for lunch.

"Nothing at all is wrong, Ash, I am fine," she said, a tear trickling down her porcelain face, landing with a soft plop on her pants.