Thirteen year old Beck Oliver is treated like crap by his mother. Every single day he is put in the basement and forced to stay down there. His mother barely gives him any food or water anymore. Lately, he hasn't had ANY food at all. His father left them when he was only a few weeks old and he really has no one. As far as anyone knows, Beck isn't even alive... he doesn't even exist!
"Mom?" Beck called for the millionth time even though he knew it was no use.
His mother was probably upstairs having the time of her life. She spent most of her time in her room with a bunch of men. She was probably up in her room right now with one of her new boyfriends. Ever since his father left, his mother brought a lot of men home and up to her room. It seemed that she'd have a whole different man over every week.
"Mom!" Beck cried, but it was no use.
He looked around the basement and then to the little window to the back. He slowly walked over to the little light source and tried kicking at it. The little window surprisingly shattered open and Beck gasped surprised. It had never, in a million years, ever seemed like it was going to break open, but it finally did! He held his breath and focused on hearing if anyone had just heard him. No one seemed to have heard the loud noise he had just made so he let out his breath in relief and looked at the window. Would he fit? He asked himself over and over and shook his head. He had to! He just had to get out of this mad-house. He kicked the glass out of the way and hopped up into the window and slid his head through. He pulled his body through it next and then his legs and finally his feet.
Finally! he thought to himself.
He looked around cautiously and nervously. He realized no one was looking and sighed in sweet relief. He suddenly felt a sharp pain and lifted up his shirt to find that he had cut himself when he was getting out of the small window in the basement. He wore a dark grey t-shirt and blood could be seen staining it from his wound. A girl rode by on her bike and stopped when she saw him.
"Whoa, What happened?" she asked looking down at his bloody shirt.
Her brown eyes widened in shock. She had long, bright red hair and seemed to be around his age.
"I..." he looked back at the basement's window. "I can't really tell you." he told her.
She pat her handle bar.
"Come on," she told him.
He looked at her biked and raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Get on," she said, patting her handle bar again.
"Um, okay?" he said and slowly walked over and got on.
There was a long and awkward pause of silence, but Beck decided to break it.
"What's your name?" he asked.
She laughed.
"Tell me yours first..." she said looking at his shirt. "...bleeding boy."
Beck laughed at that. He hadn't remembered the last time he'd had a real laugh.
"Beck Ol- ...uh Beck." he said.
"Well, hi Beck," she smiled at him. "I'm Cat."
"Cat..." he said trying to remember the name.
She peddled faster as they reached a hill. Beck had never seen this hill before.
"You... look hungry." Cat said poking him in the ribs.
He laughed with a small wince.
"I am. Hey, where are you taking me?" he asked looking around at the unfamiliar neighborhood.
"My house... hopefully no one's there." she told him.
"No one's ever at my house..." Beck told her, frowning.
"Same here... so I go out on my bike all the time." she said and they both looked down at her bike.
They finally reached her house and Beck got off of the handle bar. She put away her bike and checked if anyone was home. No parent was in sight so she came back outside and grabbed Beck by the arm. He laughed as she pulled him into her house and shut the front door behind them.
"So, what do you have to eat?" he asked her nervously and looked around.
She pointed to the fridge. "Help yourself!"
He smiled shyly and walked over to the fridge slowly.
Cat watched and laughed at him. "It's a fridge; it's not going to bite you, Beck!"
Beck laughed nervously and opened up the fridge. He backed away and let out a fake scream and put his hands up in fake alarm and looked back at Cat in horror. She laughed at him and shook her head. They both went for the fridge at the same time now and their hands touched while reaching for the same sandwich. Cat looked over at Beck and blushed. He slid his hand off of hers awkwardly and smiled back at her shyly.
"We could split it," Cat suggested grabbing the plastic bag with the sandwich in it.
Beck nodded and sat down at the kitchen counter on a stool. It was a whole lot comfortable than the basement floor. Cat grabbed a knife out of her silverware drawer and got ready to cut the sandwich, then stopped and looked up at Beck and smiled.
"What?" he asked.
"Straight or..." she asked.
"Diagonal!" he smiled.
Cat nodded and cut the sandwich. She handed him a half and he ate it hungrily.
"You weren't hungry... were you?" she noticed aloud, looking over at his, now empty, hands.