I sat in front on my mirror in the bathroom, applying as much make up as I could to hide the bruise. After the Saturday detention I was left with such inspiration to change and be a better person. I knew that I could have pretended nothing happened and continue as if everything was the same but I just couldn't. So that night I stood up to my father. When we had gotten home he started a heated argument.

"Claire, who was that scumbag boy you were with at the car? I don't want you to see him again. This is not good for you Claire."

On a usual day I would roll my eyes and storm to my room, however this was not a normal day and I did not like the way he spoke about John. I would have agreed with my father not too long ago but today I had learnt how wrong my opinion of him was and I had seen a different side to him. This is why the words did not filter in my head before they escaped me.

"Oh, for god's sake dad, what the hell do you care? You don't care about me anyway all you do is use me to get back at mom!"

I could never have prepared for what my father did then. He had backhanded me leaving me with a shocked expression on my face. I had clutched my cheek, feeling the stinging pain flare up and then run to my room, locking the door. I could not believe he had hit me. Sure I hated both of them but I never thought they would ever hurt me like this. We weren't that kind of family. We were the picture perfect family to everyone else and behind closed doors they shouted and ignored but never did physical violence take place. Well, until now that is.

So that is why I was sitting in my bathroom trying my best to cover up the bruise. It had taken about an hour for the bruise to appear and it had shocked me once again, realising fully the amount of force my father had used on me. I was surprised I even had enough cover up left after the amount I used but finally my face looked presentable, so I grabbed my bag and headed for the front door.

Child abuse aside today was the day I had been dreading: Monday. This was not the normal dread every teenager felt towards the offending day, this was more. This was the day that would show who was a coward and who was brave and to be honest I had no idea which category I would fall under. I knew Brian would do the noble thing and be nice to all of us but I wasn't so sure about Andy what with his peer pressure with the jocks. Though I saw the way he was looking at Allison and I wondered whether he'd tell his friends to fuck off altogether.

John Bender was another story. I had absolutely no idea how he would be towards me today at school, that is if he decides to show up. To be fair though, I didn't know how I would be toward him if I saw him. I wanted to do the right thing and stand up to my friends. It was so hard though. I have lived my life a certain way for years and have spent those years with a single specific group of people. To confess the whole transgression of Saturday and openly associate with John would change all of this and it was a strangely disconcerting thought. Could I really let my whole life change for someone I was not entirely sure liked me at all?

What happened on Saturday night with my father also kind of scared me off. Logically I knew my friends wouldn't hit me but I wasn't thinking logically. I wondered absently if he kept the earring I had given him. He probably went at hocked it at the jeweller but part of me did not care if he did because he sure as hell needed the money more than I did. I hoped he kept it though as a reminder of me.

I walked up the steps to the school and frowned. It looked exactly the same as it did last week; boring, plain and simple. It wasn't like I had expected it to look any different but it seemed like something so colossal had happened in that Saturday detention that something should have been changed. My view of life in general had after all.

I walked to my locker and grabbed my books. The halls were still pretty empty but I looked around to see if I could spot my friends (new and old ones). I was about to go find somewhere to sit alone to wait when I saw Allison standing at her locker. Well, I thought to myself, may as well get started with the bravery. Although I guess it didn't really count because no one else was around.

"Hey Allison!" I called and the strange girl turned around, hesitated a minute then smiled. Allison had shown up wearing her usual black on black get up but I was happy to note that she had laid off a little on the black shit around her eyes. She even wore a cute black headband, pushing her hair off of her face. Even though I was a little disappointed that she didn't keep to my makeover, I had to concede that she looked pretty.

"Hi Claire." I was relieved that she was talking to me. It would have been all kinds of awkward if she had ignored me. "So have you seen any of the others yet?" I asked trying to sound casual. Allison shook her head.

"No I don't think they're here yet and I don't think we'll see John until later anyway. He usually doesn't show for first period." I nodded nonchalantly trying to pretend I hadn't been asking mainly about John and we lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

I broke it with, "Hey do you want me to do some of your make up again? I like your eyes though, not as much black shit." Allison laughed quietly and thought for a minute before nodding her head and following me to the bathroom.

As I was doing Allison's lipstick, she stared intently at my face as if scrutinising it.

"Claire, are you okay?" She asked looking deep into my eyes. I panicked and pretended to be getting a wipe from my bag. How could she tell? I could have sworn that I had covered up the bruise expertly.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Allison pursed her lips but said nothing. I finished doing her make-up, quicker than I usually would, and we went back into the hall. I decided to break the uncomfortable silence with some boy talk.

"So Allison, I saw you and Andy on Saturday. You guys looked pretty cosy..." I trailed off trying to get her to talk. Allison blushed at the mention of Andy and looked down shyly.

"He's probably already forgotten about me." Ha! I thought to myself. That was funny. That boy was completely whipped and it had only been one day. Hmmm, her subconscious whispered at her, remind you of someone? I scowled inwardly at myself before turning back to the conversation.

"Please anyone could see that he's head over heels for you." Allison shook her head and simply smiled silently but there was a telltale blush on her face. She really was pretty adorable when you got to know her and saw past her slight strangeness and obsession with black. When I told Allison this exact thing she laughed softly in good humour and possibly in a bit of embarrassment.

Things would be so much simpler if everyone in school knew how awesome these new people in my life were.