A/N: Zendaya Coleman is reprising her role as Lusa, Kim's best friend, because I never liked Grace. She wasn't around much and was always kind of a bitch. Also, I'm stealing James Roday's Shawn and Maggie Lawson's Juliet from the USA Network's TV show "Psych." Only them, so I don't have to call it a crossover. If you haven't seen Psych, get there.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Inside Kim's Head

D: Where the fuck are you?

K: Studying at Lusa's.

D: Why aren't you home?

K: Because I can't type a paper without power?

D: Don't cock off to me, girl! If you're not home by the time I get there...

I hate my dad, you know? The guy really grinds on my nerves. Weird thing coming from a seventeen year old girl, but you'll understand.

"Luse, I gotta go," I tell my best friend in the world.

"What? Where are you going? What's wrong?" Lusa asks, looking all kinds of concerned. How pissed off I am right now must be showing.

"My dad," I say flatly. "He's on another drunk power trip and he's threatening me if I'm not home when he gets there."

"Kim, are you going to be okay?" Lusa sounds really worried this time. Me and my dad have had some serious problems before, and Lusa knows the jist of it, though not all of it.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I wave off in my usual fashion. "I uh... I might be back later tonight..." I leave off, not quite sure what it means yet myself. I'm just kinda playing it by ear at this point. With my dad's drinking and my loose cannon temper, God only knows how this could blow up.

As I leave Lusa's and begin the quick walk home, about five minutes, I start thinking about everything I want to say to dear old dad. Things like how much I hate him. That he's a huge reason for my depression that's been getting harder and harder to hide. That he's the reason I'm experimenting with cutting. The man could drive anyone to drink, and I still think my mom is an idiot for staying with him. She thinks she's doing it for me.

Before I know it I'm storming up the path to my shitty, falling apart house. There's nothing cute about it.

"Alright, where is he!" I shout as I slam the door behind me. I'm done with this shit! "He wanted me back home so bad. Where is he?" My hands are shaking with rage and my head is beginning to ache.

"He's not home right now," my answers sheepishly as she comes in from the kitchen, wearing her fuzzy red bathrobe. She loves that thing.

"Then where the fuck is he?" I continue to yell, still beyond pissed. Mom would usually wonder what was up with my language, given that I don't swear around her, but my anger is evident enough, and who I'm angry at.

"He's at Catherine's doing homework for his online courses," my mom tells me.

"At Catherine's? He blows up my phone bitching at me fir not being home when he's at Catherine's, doing the same thing I was doing? What kind of horse shit is that?!" Catherine, by the way, is my dad's 'business partner' and his 'office' is a spare bedroom at her house.

"I know. He just said that you're part of the family, so you should be at home," my mom was the messenger, and I'm not going to blow up on her.

"No! That's not how this works! He can't preach this shit while he's at another woman's house while we're here. No. You know what? I'm done! I can't fucking handle living with him anymore!" I scream as I march up stairs to my bedroom.

With just the light of my phone because my parents failed to pay the electricity bill again, I find my karate duffel bag and fill it with all the clothes I can fit and the few small personal items that really matter.

Once I'm all packed, I charge back downstairs to find my mom in the kitchen, still sipping her tea.

"Mom, I need to get out of here. I can't handle living here anymore. I just can't do it," I say, sadness in me more now than rage. "I'm sorry, mom. I have to do what's best for me, and staying here isn't it. Do you see these?" I ask her, pulling up my knit sweater sleeve to show her the shallow angry knife lines across my wrist. "He's what I'm trying this for. He's the one that makes me feel like I need any kind if escape, even if it's endorphins from the blade of a knife. I love you mom, I need to get out of here," I explain in one giant rush.

"I understand," mom whispers as she pulls me into a tight hug. I drop my bag and hug her back with all I have. She's letting me do this, letting me go. Of all the things I thought she would say, that wasn't it.

We finish hugging it out and I pick up my bag and walk to the door. "Mom, you know I'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah Kim, I do," my mom says quietly. "Please stay in touch with me."

"I will," I promise as I leave the house and strut back up the road back to Lusa's. As I walk, what I just did is replaying in my head. I feel liberated and scared all that the same time.

I have no idea what to do. I have no job, I don't have any other family up here and I won't have much time at Lusa's. Lusa and her mom are damn poor in their own right. Their two room second floor apartment isn't much, but it's better than living on the street.

After that thought, I'm back at Lusa's, and glad to be because it's cold out. Well, cold for Seaford in October. I climb the stairs and try to re-center myself. I didn't cry when I left, but I was flustered and damn close to losing it. I hate losing it, but who doesn't?

I was raised strong. I don't like to talk feelings. I haven't cried since my good friend and teacher, Mr. Martin died last year. I've had a few breakdowns, fine, but those usually end in dry eyes screaming, me throwing shit and light cutting. But bottom line... I don't cry and I don't need to talk.

I knock on Lusa's door, because that's just how we work. We might as well be sisters, but we still keep the considerate formalities between us. I don't wait for her to open the door, letting myself in. Why should she get up to get the door when she knows it's me? I'm pretty much her only visitor, and nobody comes to my house. Brett does occasionally, but we haven't been doing great lately. More on that later.

I close the door behind me and sigh to myself, eyeing the couch that will be my home for the foreseeable future. I look up and see Lusa leaning on the doorway of her room.

"How's it going, Kim?" Lusa asks knowingly. She's not a 'let's talk and hug it out' girl, either. Probably one of the reasons we get along so well.

"Doing just fine. How are you?" I ask back, pretending like I didn't run away and burn down every bridge between me and my family. "So is it cool if I crash on your couch until I can work something out?" I ask sheepishly, already feeling like a burden.

"Yeah, just don't bleed on my couch," she says as she turns back to go to her room. "Oh, and if you need me for... well, anything..." she stops and points at her room. "And if you're hungry, there's some hotdogs in the fridge and bread in the cupboard. We don't have buns."

"Thanks, Luse," I smile weakly. I felt like crap, and feel like an even bigger pile now. Lusa's mom is on disability for her serious joint pain and a brittle bone disorder. Lusa's been trying to find work, but she just can't get in anywhere, and her lack of transportation isn't helping either. And here I am, sitting on their couch. The school's lunches never seemed as filling before as they do right now.

Hey Brett. I text my boyfriend as I settle onto the couch for the night, but I know I won't be able to sleep.

Hey cutie, what's up? I smile at his ubcharacteristically quick response. He's terrible at quick replies, but he's always so damn busy with this or that. I'm lucky if we get out once a month. If it wasn't for seeing each other at school, we'd have a pretty strained relationship. I can say we're happy, though.

K: Um... Should I just simply put this? I ran away from home. Tonight. I'm staying at Lusa's for a bit, but it's very temporary.

B: Oh no! That's horrible! Where will you go? I'd like you to stay with me, but you know my dad, he won't let that fly.

K: I wasn't asking to live with you because I figured about as much, haha. I really don't find this funny.

B: Can we talk about this tomorrow? It's getting pretty late and I have practice tomorrow.

K: Sure. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night! I love you.

B: Good night!

Wow. That one actually kinda stung a little bit. Brett is awarded absolutely no boyfriend points for that. I'm really not that surprised, though. Him being my boyfriend and all, I thought he was the one person I could open up to, the one I could cry on, you know? Not Brett. He's just kinda... cold, ya know? The only time I feel he was really there for me was when Mr. Martin died, and he even left the visitation early! I don't know if we're going to make it much longer, but I can't break us up right now, not after tonight. I need to be able to pretend I have a rock, you know?

My phone buzzes and I fish it out of my pants pocket. It's a message from Jack, my other best friend in the whole world.

J: Hey Kim! What's up!

Do I tell Jack? Do I open up to this guy that thinks I'm strong, super tough and unshakable, or do I clam up and lie, tell him everything's fine?

K: Hi Jack! There's nothing crazy going on. Just crashing at Lusa's.

J: On a school night? You never sleep over on school nights.

K: I know, but I had to type out a paper, and I just decided to stay here. I didn't lie. I just left a whole bunch out.

J: What happened to your computer?

K: It wasn't working. It wouldn't come on. I got the paper done though, so I'm happy. :)

J: Good. I'd hate to see you anything but. :) Good night, Kim.

K: Jack, wait. Are you going to be up for a little bit?

J: I haven't been sleeping well lately, so yeah. What's up?

I stop texting him and call him instead. It only rings once before he answers.

"Hey, Jack," I say, my voice sounding tired and out of breath.

"Kim, are you okay?" Jack asks, his voice sounding shaken like mine. He already knows that something is amiss. Jack really is a tentative guy.

"Uhm, yeah... I think... maybe..." at this stage, I don't even really know.

"What's wrong?" Jack cuts to the chase.

"I ran away, Jack," I tell him plainly but quietly. I know Lusa's not listening in, but she doesn't need to hear this, either.

"What happened?" Jack's voice is soft and I can hear the care dripping from his mouth. "Are you safe? Are you okay? Are you somewhere warm?" He just can't slow himself down.

"I'm okay for now, Jack. I'm staying at Luse's for now. My dad, he finally just... I'm done with him. I can't take him anymore, you know? He's just so..." my mind falters because I don't know what to say next. I don't know how to say everything I'm feeling. How do you convey this over a cellphone?

"I know, Kim, I know," Jack's voice seems oddly soothing to me tonight.

"I... I feel alone, Jack..." I admit.

"Besides Luse, does anyone else know?" Jack inquires.

"Just you two and Brett. I'm not sure my dad has been home to find out yet."

"Your dad doesn't even know you flew out yet?" That seems to concern him.

"I don't think so..." Like I said, I'm really not sure. "He hasn't blown up my phone or tried to come after me." Him coming after me. That's something I really hadn't thought of yet. Am I safe here?

"Kim, I don't like this. I understand you needed to get the hell out of there, and I don't blame you, but you should have had a plan," Jack lightly scolds me like a brother.

"I know, I know... but... I had to get out, Jack. You don't know what living there is like, you don't know what I've had to put up with. I don't have your apple pie family," I say longingly, because god damn do I wish Shawn and Juliet were my parents. The Spencers are so wonderful, and they adopted Jack when he was so young, they really do seem and feel to him like they're his real parents. He has no problem calling them mom and dad, while mine feel more like 'Empty Shell and Asshole Chuck.'

"I'm so sorry, Kim. You said you told Brett?"

"Yeah, I did," I tell him, sighing into the phone pressed to my cheek as I bury myself under a fleece blanket on the couch. "He seemed... it didn't seem like a huge deal to me. He didn't even offer to stay up with me. I didn't ask, but what kind of boyfriend just sends himself to bed when his girl just told him she ran away?"

"Not a good one..." Jack mumbles and it almost slipped past me. "I'm sure he'll be there for you, Kim. As boyfriend, that's his job, right? And he should want to be there for you." Sometimes I wonder how Jack is still single.

"I hope so. And Kim... let me talk to my mom and dad. We're a lot more suited to keep you than Lusa. I'm sure mom and dad would take you in with smiling faces."

"Jack, no! There's no way I could..." The bastard hung up before I could say no! I drop my phone on the table and throw myself back onto the couch in a huff. What the fuck does Jack need to go tell his parents for? His adoptive mom is a detective! She might bring me back to fuckhead Chuck!

My phone vibrates on the table and I spring for it, hoping it's Jack. I check to see it's my dad again. He knows I'm gone, but I can't deal with this right now. I need sleep to deal with school and to try to work up a game plan tomorrow for my foreseeable future. Fuckhead Chuck will just have to wait.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

This was just a short intro chapter to see if it floats. If it does, the chapters will be longer and much more in depth. Thanks for reading and hit that review button!