AN: Per the request of my wonderful friends on dA, I have updated my fanfiction account for the first time in two years! I've been writing quite a few fics and I hope to somehow help my reputation that I gained through...Being a n00b. XD

"Ow...Tch...It isn't the same..."

A young girl of about 15 said aloud as she tossed her hairbrush onto the bed next to her. Her behind was splattered in self-inflicted red marks. She sighed and tucked a strand of her kinky, burgundy hair behind her ear, flopping down on her stomach. Her friends all got in trouble for what they did, why didn't she? She could hardly count the bad things she had done, and she could mention them to her parents and they would brush it off as though she had done absolutely nothing.

"Probably my fault, I have parents that won't punish me and punishing myself doesn't even hurt-OW!"

She gasped suddenly as a sharp pain ripped across her bottom and she reached back to rub the area. She looked back to see her cat, a brown and white cat with short hair and piercing green eyes, had just scratched her, and had his paw raised to do it again. The cat looked right at her and after a moment, struck again. This time right across her sit-spot.

"M-max!"

She said in a startled voice. She was about to stand up, until the cat jumped on her back. She could have simply stood up when she realized how human the cat seemed to be acting as he positioned himself on her lower back and hissed in a warning tone. This was worrying.

She realized this for real as two more scratches could be felt and tears sprang to her eyes. She whimpered gently at the searing pain that ripped across her skin and began to reach her hand back, until she felt Max paw at it with a clawed paw, almost as if to say, "We aren't finished yet."

The cat reached down further and with a frightening expertise, scratched the places where the most weight was distributed when sitting. At this point, the girls whimpers became much more audible and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Finally, the cat retraced his claws and crawled off of her back before snuggling up to the girls face, nuzzling her neck affectionately. His comforting purring was heard as the girl wrapped her arms around him and snuggled the small mammal.

"...Th-thanks...Max...I really needed that..."

She sniffled as the cat licked her face once, purring gently. She heard the door open downstairs and she sat up, tugging her paints up with a quiet yelp of pain and another tear fell from her blue eyes.

"Abby? You home yet, sweetie?"

A voice called from downstairs. Abby wiped her face and sniffled gently before opening her bedroom door.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm home..."

She called back, rubbing her butt through her jeans and shifting uncomfortably as she did. Her mother ascended the stairs, her shoulder length hair was a bit darker than Abby's, yet it was the same texture. Her mothers also bore the battle scars of parenting which were represented by silvery strands running through her hair. Her blue eyes which matched her daughters; blue as the sky, smiled at Abby as she outstretched her arms into a hug.

"How are you, Abbs? How was school today, hmm?"

Abby smiled at her mother, hugging her back. Thankfully, her mother didn't catch up on Abby's crying, so she was safe. For now. She took in the sweet scent of berries that her mother's perfume carried with a smile.

"Went good. H-how was work? Do you need help with dinner? When is dad coming home? Need help cleaning?"

Abby's mother tilted her head in a quizzical manner, smirking slightly at her daughter, who while trying to be normal seeming was not pulling that role off quite well. Abby felt her cheeks flush slightly and she adverted her eyes.

"Are you okay? You're awfully attentive, this is very unlike the usual. Did you bomb a test or something?"

She asked, first feeling of Abby's head before putting her hands on her hips in a firm manner and then laughing at herself.

"Well, if you really want to help then I'm sure we could whip up something for us to eat later, I guess that would be good."

She said, leading the way downstairs and into the kitchen. She pulled some chicken out of the fridge and bumped her head on a shelf as she was getting vegetables out before laughing at it. Her mother was a very easy going woman who believed herself to be more of a friend than a parent. Her father, a lovely gentleman of English descent, was the same way. Abby was certainly never hit as a child, she had never been grounded, never even yelled at. She had been scolded and that was that.

Who would have thought that a cat would have been the first one to spank her.

As Abby helped her mother locate the food that would be used for a salad, she paused. She looked like at Abby, as if she was going to say something before smirking.

"Know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think we just better make pizza, because I have no idea how the hell to make any of this without giving all of us a disease of some sort."

Abby giggled and hit her mom on the head with a bag of salad greens before scanning the freezer before locating a pizza.