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He shivered as the thunder rumbled above his head, the wind began to pick up as the air got thick with humidity.

Signs of an approaching storm.

Kendall Smith sat inside the plastic slide at the park, his small body still aching from the beating his father had just given him. He didn't mean to drop the cup, but his father could give a damn less about that.

Just another reason to bash him around like a sack of potatoes.

(Two Hours Earlier)

"Get in here and wash these damn dishes you ungrateful little bastard!" Kendall heard his father scream.

He let out a small sigh and got up from scrubbing the bathroom tile and made his way to the kitchen, because if he didn't obey, he would surely pay the price. He passed his father in the living room, trying to avoid his hard glare as he passed in front of the television screen. His mother paid him no mind either as he passed her in the dining room, she just continued to play with her phone and twirl her long blonde hair between her fingers.

With a heavy heart he pulled a chair over to the sink, his short seven year old legs unable to reach him up to the counter top just yet. He carefully climbed up and began running the water to start a load of dishes. For the next hour, he washed dirty dinnerware until his hands pruned. He didn't mind it though, he was used to doing the house chores. He was just happy that he accomplished this task without a beat down, hopefully his mom and dad would let him have dinner tonight for doing a good job and being a good boy.

That small hope went down the drain with the dirty dish water as the glass he was drying slipped from his grip and crashed to the floor.

He froze in fear.

Oh no.

He could only stare in horror as his father came storming into the kitchen, fury was in his features as he looked down and caught sight of the shattered glass. Very slowly, his eyes lifted up to paralyze Kendall with a cold glare.

"Daddy I-" Kendall opened his mouth to say.

But he was cut short as his fathers strong large hand striked him across the face, and out of the wooden chair he was standing in. He could feel nothing but the pain in his side as the glass shards cut deep into his flesh, his head began throbbing from that one single strike.

"You think you can just stand there and break the dishes we eat off of?" He screamed at the small defenseless boy.

Kendall quickly shook his head as he tried to fight back his tears. "No dad, I didn't mea-"

"I don't want to hear any of your sorry ass excuses boy, now get up and clean up all that blood you just got all over my floor!" He yelled nastily.

Kendall silently tried to get back up to his feet, his bare foot caught in a small puddle of soap water and blood. He went down again, right back into the glass pile.

Mr. Smith reached down and violently snatched him off of the floor. "Stop stumbling you little freak, are you trying to make me beat the shit out of you?" He asked loudly.

Kendalls breath caught in his throat and he tried to pull away from his fathers tight grip. "N-no, please don-"

For the millionth time, he was cut off.

"If you're going to cry like a little bitch, im going to treat you like a little bitch until you learn to man the hell up!" Mr. Smith screamed in his small face.

Kendall flinched away from him as his spittle hit him in the face.

Mr. Smith snarled at him before roughly shoving him into the counter, his vision blackened for a second as the back of his head made contact with the marble counter top.

"Grab the counter, and I don't want to hear a peep." Mr. Smith stated as he began pulling his belt from his pant loops.

Trying to contain his sobs, Kendall turned around and grabbed the counter.

.

.

Fifty lashes from the belt later, and after he cleaned up the bloody mess he made. Kendall was finally sent back to his room.

XOXOXO

He had climbed out of his basement bedroom window and made his way here to the park after the stinging pain subsided and turned into a dull ache, they wouldn't notice he was gone, they never have.

"Kendall!"

He poked his bruising face out from the slide when he heard his name called, she was here! He hopped out of the safety of the plastic playground equipment and blotted across the sand, right into her waiting arms. There he let it go, he began to sob as she rocked him in her arms.

"Shhh, it's okay Kendall…I got you now, you're safe with me." She whispered soothingly into his ear as she stroked his matted hair.

Kendall didn't know who she was, or where she come from. But he was glad she was here right now, she was his safe haven. He had met her about three weeks ago, right here at the park. She had shoulder length blonde hair and the brightest green eyes he had ever seen, she looked to be about fifteen years old. She had found him crying in the slide after another one of his fathers brutal beatings, and without a word she swooped him into her arms and let him cry on her shoulder. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, let alone cry on them, but he found comfort in this stranger. She would buy him food and tend to his wounds every time they met up at the park, and for that he was thankful. He didn't know her name, so he called her Angel.

Because she was his angel.

Ten minutes later his crying ceased, he just sat in Angels lap as she slowly swung back and forth on the swing set they were sat in.

She cleared her throat. "What happened this time?" She asked, seeing the welt marks on his arms.

Kendall lifted his head and looked up at her. "I dropped a cup…" He whispered sadly.

Angels muscles tensed as her face turned to one of anger, but Kendall wasn't scared that she would hurt him.

He knew her anger was aimed at his parents.

After a moment she relaxed. "Are you seriously hurt?" She asked, her eyes sweeping over him to check for any signs of blood.

Kendall silently lifted his dingy old t-shirt up, Angel gasped at the blood stains and welt marks that marred his tiny body. With a feather like touch, she gently ran her slender finger over the swollen purple marks. Kendall shivered lightly as her cold touch soothed the burning, that was another thing about Angel that he really liked. She was always cold, kind of like a popsicle.

"I think I got all the glass out." He said when her hand ran over his side.

Careful not to let him slip off her lap, Angel reached down into her backpack. She sat back up with a large first aid kit in her hand. Silently, she began to bandage him up. The rain started to come down as she finished up, without a second thought she pulled the red beanie from her head and put it on his.

She laughed as it fell over his eyes. "Want to go grab a bite to eat?" She asked, adjusting the cap to fit on his small head.

Kendalls stomach answered for him as it let out a harsh grumble at the mention of being able to eat.

He flushed in embarrassment.

"Can you walk?" She asked.

He nod and hopped off of her lap.

She stood up and pulled a small red plaid coat from the inside of her bag. "Look what I bought, I seen this in the window of Plaid Central and thought of you." She said with a large smile as Kendall stared at the material in wonder.

Angel's brows furrowed. "Don't you like it?" She asked, seeing the look he was giving the coat.

Kendall quickly nod his head. "Yeah, I do….its just…"

He didn't know how to pick the right words, nobody ever bought him anything. He just didn't know how to take this kind of treatment!

Angel nod her head, she understood what he was trying to say. "Here, let me help you put it on."

Careful not to hurt him, she helped him put on the coat. She pulled up the zipper and hood before taking a step back to admire his adorableness.

"My my, aren't you just a big bucket of handsome." Angel complemented.

She laughed as he flushed again. "Come on bub, let's go get you some food." She said, sticking her hand out to him.

Kendall grinned and grabbed her hand.

He may not have a lot going for him, but at least he had Angel.

Is anybody else pissed at Mr. Smith like I am? Haha, this story is inspired by Rhett9 and his story Logan Lies. If you haven't read his stories, go check em out! They are awesome :)

I've been meaning to get this story going for a while now, but with all my other stories I just never found the time. BUT with writers block creeping up on me, I decided to not stress out over it and finally start this one up. How is it?

Do you want me to continue this, lemme know!